About abuse

If abuse happens to someone it is not their fault, it can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Some people may find it difficult to protect themselves and are more at risk, maybe because they:
•    are older
•    have learning disabilities
•    have physical disabilities
•    have conditions like dementia, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's
•    are autistic
•    have mental health conditions
•    are deaf, blind or visually impaired
•    have drug or alcohol issues
•    are recovering from severe illness or injury
•    look after a friend or relative (carers)

They might be at risk because they:
•    don’t understand that someone is doing something wrong to them
•    aren’t able to tell someone what is happening
•    are lonely and put up with things to avoid being alone
 

Most people won’t cause abuse, but anyone can be an abuser. It can be one person or a group of people. It could be:
•    a member of your family or a relative
•    someone you are in a relationship with, or you were in a relationship with
•    someone you live with
•    a friend, or someone pretending to be your friend 
•    a neighbour
•    a community leader or religious leader
•    tradespeople  
•    someone at a club or group you go to
•    someone using the same services as you
•    staff or volunteers  
•    carers or personal assistants
•    professionals like police, doctors, nurses and care workers
•    a teacher or lecturer
•    a sports trainer or coach
•    a stranger

Carers can sometimes be abused by the person they are looking after, or by other people.

Abuse is not always caused on purpose. Sometimes it is caused by someone who does not know what abuse is, or how to look after people correctly. And sometimes they might blame you for their abusive behaviour, saying things like "look what you have made me do". But abuse is always wrong and should not happen.

Watch our Tricky Friends short film 

Abuse can happen anywhere, including:
•    your home
•    someone else’s home, including a friend’s or neighbour's
•    in the community
•    on the street
•    social clubs
•    sports clubs
•    religious venues like churches, chapels, mosques, synagogues, temples
•    schools, colleges, and universities
•    workplaces
•    hospitals and clinics
•    day care centres
•    care homes
•    supported accommodation
•    support groups
•    activity groups
•    shops
•    public transport
•    pubs and nightclubs
•    prison
•    on your phone - calls, social media, texts
•    on your computer - social media, emails, webcam 

Everyone is different, so it is not always easy to spot that someone is suffering abuse. But sometimes their behaviour, mood or appearance might change. They might:
•    appear scared, upset, angry or sad
•    say they don’t want to be alone with someone
•    stop letting people into their home
•    start being secretive or don’t want to talk about things they are doing
•    look dirty, uncared for, or thinner than usual
•    have bruises or injuries that they don’t want to talk about
•    be unusually light-hearted and insist there's nothing wrong
•    appear to be influenced or controlled by someone else
•    start to have little or no money
•    stop wanting to go to places they used to like
•    stop wanting to do things they used to like doing, like hobbies, activities and clubs