October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence can be described as a systemic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviors that one person non-consensually uses over another to gain and maintain power and control over their thoughts, beliefs, actions, body, and/or spirit. 

Andrew Howard, Assistant Program Director of BHN’s Domestic Violence program, notes that the focus of our services tends to be on abuse occurring within dating, romantic, spousal, and partner relationships, but abuse can occur in any relationship. Howard suggests that “the two most critical aspects of domestic violence awareness are the understanding of what it actually looks like, and the stigma of being a survivor.” 

It’s important to know the red flags of abuse because domestic violence doesn’t look the same in every relationship. View the list of common domestic violence red flags and abuse and control strategies. If you’re experiencing one or more of these things in your relationship and feel that you are in danger, call The Hotline at the bottom of this post to talk about what’s going on.