Domestic Violence/Dating Violence is a pattern of behaviors that maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Abuse are physical, sexual, economic, and emotional/psychological actions or threats. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame or injure someone. It can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. Domestic violence is a crime and must be reported.
Warning Signs of Domestic Violence/Dating Violence
Abuse in a relationship doesn’t look the same in every relationship because all relationships are different. A common fact for most abusive relationship is that the abusive partner uses different tactics to maintain power and control over their partner. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, red flags and warning signs of an abuser include but are not limited to:
- Extreme jealousy
- Possessiveness
- Unpredictability
- A bad temper
- Cruelty to animals
- Verbal abuse
- Extremely controlling behavior
- Antiquated beliefs about roles of women and men in relationships
- Forced sex or disregard of their partner’s unwillingness to have sex
- Sabotage of birth control methods or refusal to honor agreed upon methods
- Blaming the victim for anything bad that happens
- Sabotage or obstruction of the victim’s ability to work or attend school
- Controls all the finances
- Abuse of other family members, children or pets
- Accusations of the victim flirting with others or having an affair
- Control of what the victim wears and how they act
- Demeaning the victim either privately or publicly
- Embarrassment or humiliation of the victim in front of others
- Harassment of the victim at work
If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call 911 or NMHU Campus Police. To learn more, please visit https://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/. You are not alone.
Resources
National Hotlines:
National Domestic Violence Hotline https://www.thehotline.org/
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline https://www.loveisrespect.org/
Statewide Crisis Lines:
New Mexico Crisis and Access Line(NMCAL) https://www.nmcrisisline.com/
New Mexico Legal Aid HelpLine https://www.newmexicolegalaid.org/
Websites
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence http://www.ncadv.org/
Domestic Violence Shelters (National Search) https://www.domesticshelters.org/
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence https://www.nmcadv.org/
Domestic Violence Resource Center of NM https://www.dvrcnm.org/
Coalition To Stop Violence Against Native Women https://www.csvanw.org/
Enlace Comunitario https://www.enlacenm.org/