The Jamaica Coalition Against Domestic Violence (JCADV) identifies six (6) different types of abuse that can take place in the homes.

Domestic Violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one household member to maintain power and control over another household member. Domestic violence includes intimate partner violence, sibling violence, child abuse, elderly abuse, and other violence between persons sharing the same household.

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●PHYSICAL ABUSE: May or may not leave bruises or scars such as shoving, shaking, scratching, punching, burning, throwing objects, strangling, and any attempts or threats to kill someone. Hitting, slapping, choking, grabbing, pinching, biting, hair pulling, etc are types of physical abuse. This type of abuse also includes verbal and nonverbal intimidation or threatening to attack with weapons, denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use upon a person.

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● SEXUAL ABUSE: Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Underage children and people that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot consent to sex. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner. Other examples of sexual abuse are taking advantage of you while you are drunk or not in the right frame of mind to give consent, forcing you to do painful and degrading acts during sex, rape, taking pictures or recordings while having sex without your consent, threatening to break up if you refuse sex, forcing you to perform sexual acts on others for money.

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●EMOTIONAL ABUSE: Undermining an individual's sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem damaging an individual’s emotional well-being. These behaviors can be verbal or non-verbal such as name-calling, humiliation, mocking, yelling, swearing, ignoring, manipulating your children, cheating, or being jealous, blaming you for abusive behaviors, lying to your family, and friends.

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●ECONOMIC OR FINANCIAL ABUSE: Is defined as making or attempting to make an individual financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding one's access to money, or forbidding one's attendance at school or employment. Other examples include jeopardizing employment by stalking or harassing the victim at his or her workplace, withholding money or giving an allowance, denying access to bank accounts, ruining the victim's credit by running up debt in the victim's name, stealing the victim's money, or devising schemes to get the victim's money or wealth.

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● PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: Elements of psychological abuse include - but are not limited to - causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner's family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.

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● TECHNOLOGICAL ABUSE: Using technology or electronic communications such as cell phones, GPS trackers on cell phones and cars, using computers, and drones to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, control, or stalk others. Recording, monitoring your phone calls, texts, and computer use.