To begin with, lets define what domestic violence is – it is any violent, threatening, frightening, or restricting behavior that occurs within a family, between spouses, or between parents and children. Violence can take many forms, such as financial violence, physical violence, verbal abuse, and sexual
abuse. ‘Butterfly Button’ was established to help those experiencing domestic violence get out of this difficult cycle, find refuge, and sometimes even save their lives.

The different types of violence and how to recognize them

There aren’t always clear and transparent signs of domestic violence when you are in it. The act of violence is not always expressed in the form of a black eye or a broken arm, as we might expect. A situation like this can be elusive, since violence is not always physical, and it cannot be identified by physical manifestations. In many cases, the person who is victimized by violence does not recognize or understand that such a situation exists. As a result, it becomes much more difficult to detect the situation. If you suspect that you are subjected to violence, or you have someone close to you who you fear is in a
violent relationship, the following are some of the most common forms of violence and how to recognize them.

Physical violence

Physical violence is probably the most familiar type of violence, but it is imperative to know that it also has many shapes. It can manifest itself in constant and painful violence, or in attacks that come few and far between and include pushing, slapping, or even just the threat of violence. For example, raising a hand in the air, throwing objects, breaking things around you and more. As long as you are in a relationship where you do not feel safe, you feel threatened or feel that the person next to you may hurt you, or has already hurt you in the past, you must seek and ask for help.

Emotional or verbal violence

Emotional or verbal violence is more difficult to identify, and sometimes, when you are in such a relationship, it is hard to identify what the limit is – what turns someones normal speech into violence? When a person is violent towards you, he will say the most hurtful and harsh words to you, he will make you doubt your self-worth, he will criticize and challenge you, he will ignore and reject you, he will insult, humiliate and shout, he will use severe emotional manipulations and make you fear acting freely and as you want.

Financial violence

Control is one of the most prominent features of domestic violence, and in financial violence, control becomes even more critical. If you are in a relationship in which the other party controls all of the financial affairs of the house, denies you access and information about your financial situation, blocks
your access to money or monitors your spending, leaves you completely financially dependent on them, makes you ask for money and decides what is appropriate or not appropriate – that is financial violence.

Sexual violence

There are many situations where sexual violence can occur outside of the home. It includes sexual harassment, assault, and rape committed by acquaintances or strangers. Because of this, it is sometimes difficult to apply this concept to relationships. Sexual violence can, however, occur within the walls of a house, even with someone you are already romantically involved with. Any unwanted or forced sexual behavior, which is carried out by force, even after a refusal has been expressed, as a way to control you – is sexual violence.

Social and spiritual violence

Although violence usually occurs in hiding and privately, it can sometimes also occur in social situations, where the abusive person humiliates you in front of people, sometimes under the guise of humor, controls and monitors what you do or dont do in a social setting, separates you or keeps you away from social settings, manipulates you to convince you to stay away from family or friends, to strengthen his control over you, tries to blur your existing opinions and beliefs and replace them with his own, cancels or reduces your opinions or beliefs, or makes you feel ashamed of them, etc.