Abuse in relationships

It’s time to get help if your partner is acting in any of these ways:

• Gets angry when you don’t drop everything for them
• Criticises the way you look or dress, and says you’ll never be able to find anyone else who would want you
• Keeps you from seeing friends and family, or from talking to anyone else
• Wants you to quit an activity, even though you love it
• Raises a hand when angry, like they are about to hit you – or actually hits you
• Takes your money or tries to control what you spend your own money on
• Forces you to do more sexually than you want to
• Says that they will hurt or kill themselves if you leave or tell anyone what has been happening
• Threatens to hurt someone you care about if you do not act or do something they want

If you can think of any way in which your partner is trying to control you, make you feel bad about yourself, isolate you from the rest of your support network, or harm you physically or sexually, then it’s really important to get help. 

Visit our section on abuse which describes the different types of abuse, getting help and safety planning. 

There are also many dedicated helplines for domestic abuse to support you, or if you are a young person or are worried about a young person you can visit the Childline website or call them on 0800 1111.

Finally, if you’re worried someone might see you have been on this page, find out how to cover your tracks online.