Question

It is often difficult for people to recognize when they are in an unhealthy or abusive relationship. Write two paragraphs that describe the warning signs of a physically and sexually controlling relationship and describe the decision-making process a person should go through when deciding to leave an abusive relationship. Use a decision-making process document and the student handout "Wheel of Control” to analyze sources of information and services concerning safety and violence prevention. Your response should include supporting evidence in the form of examples, statistics, or facts.

Answer 1

Some warning signs of an unhealthy relationship can include dishonesty and lack of communication. If your significant other starts to be dishonest and secretive, that can be a warning sign. Your significant other should have nothing to hide from you, for you two are in a commited relationship. You are both supposed to share each other's secrets and count on one another. This can be one. A warning sign of a physically controlling relationship can be constantly asking what you are doing, going and who you are talking to. Sure its okay to ask every know and then where you are going, especially if you live together, but you must accept that we all have things to do. We all have friends and family that we see, and we must appreciate that. A sexually controlling relationship can be forcing you to do something that you have said multiple times not to do.

If you are in a abusive reltionship be sure to say no when you feel like you should, and never apologize for doing so. Stay firm to your decision and call for a friend or relative to stay with. In the mean time, contact services to get your partner the help he needs so he can stop his behavior. Always remember, it is not always your fault when your partner acts this way, it could be something internal or something wrong with him that he needs to work on. Leaving and getting him the help he needs will not only help him, but also any future people that he may encounter.

Answer 2

Abusive relationships are not just violent relationships, but every relationship that involves some kind of abuse - be it physical, emotional or psychological. You do not have to wait for a black eye to realize that it is time to end this suffering.

Many women spend years in abusive relationships, believing an hour will pass, but in fact their partner's behavior always stays the same. One day he curses her, the next he says she is good for nothing and so on, destroying the self-esteem of someone who probably no longer has very good self-esteem.

Over time, some women get used to this situation and do not realize that being used to abuse can lead to serious psychological problems. So even if abuse is “verbal only”, it is important to keep an eye on and not allow room for abusive attitudes to recur.

Once the woman or man has realized that she is in an abusive relationship, she / he should seek help from others to get support and get out of it and get back up. This person can start sharing events with friends or family, or look for a psychologist and if necessary a police officer.

In such cases, it is important to remember that you should not face this situation entirely on your own. Depending on the type of abuse, it can be dangerous to try to solve the problem without help from others.

3 out of 5 women are victims of abusive relationships. And often these abusive relationships end in femicide and other types of violence, so it is important to always be on the lookout and move away from violent, manipulative and controlling people.