Domestic violence is a crime. Domestic violence is about POWER and CONTROL.
Domestic Violence refers to abuse that takes place in a relationship: spouses, former spouses, parents, children, stepchildren and other persons related by blood or marriage, persons in a dating or engagement relationship, persons who share or formerly shared a common dwelling and persons who allegedly have a child in common.
Abuse means physical abuse, harassment, intimidation of a dependent, interference with personal liberty, or willful deprivation, but does not include reasonable direction of a minor child by a parent or person in parentis. (Source: Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986)
Physical Abuse: pulling hair, slapping, pushing, hitting, strangling, grabbing, using weapons, twisting arms, tripping, biting, spitting, restraining, etc.
Emotional Abuse: calling you names, playing mind games, making you feel bad about yourself, putting down things you are proud of, not respecting your needs or your wants.
Sexual Abuse: teasing you about your body parts, treating you like a sex object, manipulating you to do sexual things when you do not want to, making you feel dirty.
Economic Abuse: preventing you from getting a job, making you ask for money, paying for something and holding it against you.
Isolation: controlling what you do, who you see and talk to, what you read, where you go, moving away from friends and loved ones.
Harrassment: creating a disturbance at petitioner’s place of employment; repeatedly telephoning/text messaging petitioner’s place of employment, home, residence, or cell phone; repeatedly following petitioner about in a public place or places; repeatedly keeping petitioner under surveillance by remaining present outside her or his home, school, place of employment, vehicle, or other place occupied by the petitioner or by peering into petitioner’s windows; threatening physical force,