Who are the abusers?
There are no monsters. Abusive parents can be your friends, your neighbors or your relatives. They are ordinary people, caught in life situations beyond their control. It is a myth that child abuse occurs only among poor families. Child maltreatment affects all economic, racial, social, ethnic and religious groups.
There are no flashing signs saying, “Stay away from this person”. There is no ‘typical’ abuser. In public, they may appear friendly and loving to their partner and family. At close quarters, this is the time when they abuse their partners and children. They also try to hide the abuse by causing injuries that can be hidden and do not need a doctor. They can also make you wear clothing that will cover the bruises. Abuse is not an accident. It is a conscious decision of the person to hurt his or her partner. It does not happen because someone was stressed-out due to work, pushed to his limits, drinking alcohol, or using recreational drugs. Abuse is an intentional act that one person uses in a relationship to control the other. Abusers have learned to abuse so that they can get what they want, no matter what the cost is. The abuse may be physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological. Nevertheless, the abuse is damaging to your mind and body’s health. Abusers often have low self-esteem. Th
