Signs of Domestic Abuse

Contrary to common belief, spotting domestic abuse can be very hard. The COVID-19 pandemic and home office have definitely made that trickier. Here's things to look out for.

The first thing to keep in mind when it comes to spotting domestic abuse is that likely both the perpetrator -in fear of condemnation and ostracism- and the victim -out of shame- will do their utmost to keep a facade.

The second thing is that taking physical and sexual injuries aside, signs of domestic abuse are not always obvious to an outsider as such.

Instead of looking for clear signs, we recommend looking for a combination of and/or an intense degree of changes and/or signs in three categories: work productivity, behaviour and physique.

The types of signs

Behavioural signs

• Emotional wellbeing:

  • agitation and/or anxiety and/or depression

  • extremely apologetic or meek

  • loss of interest in daily activities

  • secretive about private life

  • low self-esteem

• Behavioural changes:

  • become reserved and distant

  • isolate from friends and colleagues

  • drop out of activities the person would normally enjoy

  • obsession with timekeeping

Work productivity signs

• Reduced quantity and/or quality of work:

  • cancel appointments last minute

  • arrive late to work

  • performance drops

• Change in the use of communication means:

  • strong reactions to messages/mails/calls

  • avoid certain messages/mails/calls

  • excessive number of messages/mails/calls

• Unusual behaviour at work:

  • spend an increased amount of hours at work for no reason

  • inability or refusal to travel for work-related events

  • disruptive personal visits

  • frequent absences

Physical signs

• Physical injuries:

  • bruises

  • black eyes

  • busted lips

  • restricted mobility of joints, e.g. limping, sprained wrist, etc.

• Changes in physical appearance:

  • change in the pattern and amount of make-up used to mask physical injuries

  • wear long-sleeves clothes to mask physical injuries

• Physical wellbeing:

  • substance abuse

  • fatigue/sleep disorders

Test your knowledge

Further resources

• Signs of DA