What is Domestic Violence?

Know the Signs:

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another.  It is a pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.

Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or economic actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound someone.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to couples who are married, living together or who are dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Signs of Emotional Abuse

1. Calls you names, insults you, or continually criticizes you

2. Does not trust you and acts jealous or possessive

3. Tries to isolate you from family or friends

4. Monitors where you go, who you talk to, and who you spend time with

5. Does not want you to work

6. Controls finances or refuses to share money

7. Punishes you by withholding affection

8. Expects you to ask permission

9. Threatens to hurt you, the children, your family, or your pets

10. Humiliates you

Signs of Financial Abuse

1. Sabotages work by stalking or harassing at the workplace

2. Controls how money is spent

3. Denies access to bank accounts

4. Withholds money or gives allowance

5. Runs up large amounts of debt on joint accounts

6. Withholds funds for basic needs - food, medicine, etc.

7. Demands a partner's public benefits

Signs of Physical Abuse

1. Damages property when angry - throws objects, punches walls, kicks doors, etc.

2. Pushes, slaps, bites, kicks, or chokes you

3. Abandons you in dangerous or unfamiliar places

4. Scares you by driving recklessly

5. Uses a weapon to threaten or hurt you

6. Forces you to leave your home

7. Traps you in your home or keeps you from leaving

8. Prevents you from calling the police or from seeking medical attention

9. Hurts your children

10. Uses physical force in sexual situations

Signs of Sexual Abuse

1. Views women as objects and believes in rigid gender roles

2. Accuses you of cheating or appears jealous of your outside relationships

3. Wants you to dress in a sexual way

4. Insults you in sexual ways or calls you sexual names

5. Forces or manipulates you into having sex or performing sexual acts

6. Holds you down during sex

7. Demands sex when you are sick, tired,or after beating you

8. Hurts you with weapons or objects during sex

9. Involves other people in sexual activities with you

10. Ignores your feelings regarding sex

Learn To Delete Your Browser History

Unless you delete your web history, a computer-savvy person will still be able to see that you have visited this site - even if you close your web browser. Below are instructions on how to delete your web history on the four major browsers; Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.

You can also download a free Window Cleaner program at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

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Internet Explorer 
 

1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.

2. Click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Delete browsing history. If you don't want to delete the cookies and files associated with websites in your favorites list, select the Preserve Favorites website data check box.

3. Select the check box next to each category of information you want to delete

4. Click Delete
    

Google Chrome

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From PC: 
 

1. At the top right, click Menu

2. Click History and recent tabs  History

3. Click the button Clear browsing data, a dialog will appear

4. From the drop-down menu, select how much history you want to delete. To clear your entire browsing history, select the beginning of time

5. Check the boxes for the data you want Chrome to clear, including “browsing history."

6. Clear browsing data
    

From Mobile Device:

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1. Tap Menu

2. Tap History

3. At the bottom, tap Clear Browsing Data.

4. Check the box next to "Clear browsing history." It may be checked by default.

5. Uncheck any other boxes you don't want to delete.

6. Tap Clear.

Apple Safari

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1. Choose History 

2. Clear History, then click Clear
   
   Safari also clears caches and the list of recent searches, and removes the website icons that appear in the search and address field.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Firefox browser

2. Tap the tab next to the URL bar

3. Tap the gear  icon

4. Tap the Clear browsing history button, then tap OK to confirm