Whenever a person forces himself/herself on you sexually without your consent, this can be considered sexual assault or rape. Even if you’re married to or in a relationship with the person who is assaulting or raping you, this doesn’t make it any less “real.” Sexual assault within a relationship is not uncommon. One national study from 1997 found that 34% of women were victims of some type of sexual coercion (including rape and other acts) by a husband or intimate partner in their lifetime (1). Another national study from 2010 found that 9.4% of women have been raped by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and an estimated 16.9% of women and 8.0% of men have experienced sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime (2). Other studies reveal that women had unwanted sex with a current spouse or partner because they thought it was their “duty” (43%), after the partner begged and pleaded with them (26%), and after their partner said things to bully them (9%) (2). Please know that you have the right to say “no,” even to your spouse or intimate partner, and you have the right to expect that s/he listen to you and not intimidate you or otherwise coerce you into consenting. (1) Kathleen C. Basile, Prevalence of Wife Rape and Other Intimate Partner Sexual Coercion in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women, 17 Violence and Victims 511 (2002) - abstract available here. (2)Center for Disease Control, National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey - Executive Summary (2010)

Emotional and psychological abuse is mainly focused on non-physical behaviors that the abuser uses to control, isolate, or frighten you. The goal is to reduce your self-esteem and self-worth in an attempt to make you emotionally and psychologically dependent on the abuser. Can you identify some signs that a partner is being emotionally and psychologically abusive?

Financial abuse is one form of domestic abuse. Withholding money, stealing money, and restricting the use of finances are some examples of financial abuse. How can you protect yourself from financial abuse?