Keeping you safe from abuse

Physical abuse is when someone hurts you. This can be hitting, kicking, pulling hair, slapping, shaking, or giving someone too much medication so they find things difficult to do.

Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour. This can include physical, sexual, financial or material, emotional or psychological abuse, as well as harassment, stalking or online abuse.

Sexual abuse is when someone makes you do sexual things that you can’t or don’t agree to, which may make you feel sad, angry or frightened. Sexual abuse is being made to have sex, being touched where you do not want to be touched or being made to touch other people in these places.

Financial or material abuse is when someone takes your money or belongings without asking. This can be stealing your money, forcing you to pay for other people’s things, or when you don’t have a say in how your money is spent. This can also include cuckooing, where criminals take over the home of someone vulnerable to carry out illegal activities.

Emotional or psychological abuse is when someone says bad things to hurt your feelings, shouts at you, or threatens you. This can be calling you names, laughing at you, blaming you for things when it’s not your fault, or treating you like a child.

Neglect is when someone does not meet the needs of someone they support or care for. It can also be when someone neglects themselves. This can be being cold, hungry, only having dirty clothes, or being put in danger.

Modern slavery is when someone is exploited by others, for personal or commercial gain. This can be human trafficking, forced labour, or debt bondage.

Radicalisation or extremism is when a person is forced to support terrorism and extremist ideologies. This can be being forced to alter their style of dress or appearance to fit with an extremist group or being unable to engage with people who are seen as different.

This includes harassment or slurs aimed at someone’s race, gender, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.  

This includes neglect and poor care practice within a care setting like a hospital or care home.