Domestic violence consists of various behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.  You might not think you are a victim of domestic violence because your partner has never been physical with you, but that is not always the case.

In North Carolina, a person commits domestic violence by doing one or more of the following acts against a person with whom the offender shares or shared a personal relationship, or against the child of such a person:

  1. Attempting to or intentionally causing bodily injury.
    • If your partner has EVER pushed, hit, made you have sex with them, or perform sexual favors when you didn’t want to, they have abused you.
  2. Placing someone or a member of someone’s family or household in fear of imminent serious bodily injury.
    • If your partner threatens you or your family, or threatens to harm you or your children if you ever try to leave.
  3. Committing a sexual offense such as rape.
  4. Placing someone in fear of continued harassment that is so bad it inflicts substantial emotional distress on the victim.
  5. Conduct that torments, terrorizes, or terrifies a person.

If you can relate to any of these examples, you may be a victim of domestic abuse.  If you are experiencing domestic violence and think you may need to get a Domestic Violence Protective Order put in place, contact our Raleigh Family Law Attorney today.

If you would like to speak to someone about domestic violence, call the National Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.  If you are in danger, don’t wait — call 911 immediately.

Free Domestic Violence Resources:

Related Resources: 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; My Spouse Won’t Move Out, What Can I Do? Part Two: A Domestic Violence Protective Order; What is a Domestic Violence Protective Order?; Domestic Violence