Domestic Abuse

If you are experiencing abusive behaviour, it is important to remember that the abuse is not your fault, that domestic abuse is against the law, and that you don’t have to deal with this on your own, because there is a lot of support available. This post explains more about Domestic Abuse and how you can access help. 

The term Domestic Abuse can refer to a range of behaviours including harassment, stalking, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, familial abuse, so called ‘honour’-based abuse, gender-based violence and LGBTQ+ abuse.

Domestic Abuse is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can be: 

• Psychological
• Physical 
• Sexual 
• Financial 
• Emotional 

but it is not limited to these, and is often a combination of several.

Controlling behaviour is a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.

Coercive behaviour is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation, or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, frighten, isolate or create dependence.

You can find specific information about the different kinds of Domestic Abuse on the Queen Mary Report and Support pages and on our Domestic & Familial Abuse, ‘Honour’-based abuse and Forced Marriage web page which also includes a section on LGBTQ+ abuse.

What support can I get at Queen Mary?

There is lots of support available from Advice and Counselling, including what to do in an emergency. Queen Mary’s Report and Support web page allows you to report an incident either anonymously, or by providing your contact details. The page also has a list of specialist organisations you can contact for support.

Queen Mary also has a dedicated SAHA Team (Sexual Assault and Harassment Team) you can contact for support and advice around sexual violence. There are more details on the SAHA web page.

If you need practical advice about leaving a situation of Domestic Abuse, please do contact us for confidential 1:1 support. We will always work with you at your pace to enable you to understand all the options available to you, whether you have already left a situation of abuse, or are contemplating taking your first steps to leave your situation safely.

To access support around your emotional wellbeing, please complete the Counselling and mental health referral form.

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