What Are The Signs Of Abuse In Women And What Can You Do?

Do you know what the signs of abuse in women are? Women who are victims of abuse react in a certain way to daily stimuli.

It can be a way of recognizing when someone is being or has been mistreated. You can recognize the signs and offer help, when for unknown reasons they are unable to ask for help or do not see what is happening to them.

Have you ever suspected that a woman was being abused when you noticed one of these signs?

Signs of abuse in women

1. They try to cover their skin as much as possible

Many women suffer psychological abuse, but some women are also physically abused. Sometimes they have bruises in visible places.

If they suddenly start wearing makeup when they normally don’t or if they get irritated when you ask them to show you their arm, shoulder, or other body part, they may be being abused.

How can we recognize it? If you notice that they are anxious or concerned when they try to hide their skin or if they react defensively and aggressively.

2. They anticipate their abuser’s anger

Abused women live in a constant state of alertness. They are always on the lookout, because they don’t want to make the person who mistreats them angry or dissatisfied.

For example, they will avoid asking their partner about certain things. Or they might say things like:

• “I can’t go out with you guys because my boyfriend doesn’t like it.”
• “ He works so much and he wants to spend the little time he has with me.”

What we see here is a lack of assertiveness. The woman neglects her own needs. She feels the need to constantly submit to her partner’s wishes.

3. They hide information about their lives

It is usually the case that those who abuse others isolate their partner from friends and family. And when they do spend time with others, abused women withhold a lot of information. They make up all kinds of excuses. That way they don’t have to tell them what’s really going on.

Whenever they join a conversation and someone asks them a question about their life, they give a superficial answer. They also try to quickly change the subject so that the conversation is no longer about them.

This causes them to live in stress and anxiety. They are careful with every word they say because they are afraid that their partner will find out something and then get mad at them.

4. They are always on guard and immediately get on the defensive

Just as they hide certain parts of their bodies, abused women often startle when touched. They feel anxious when others push against them or even if they just touch them.

For example, just touching their arm can startle them and make them jump. They react as if they expect an attack and will have to defend themselves.

You can see this when someone close to them raises their arm. The abused woman may suddenly cover her face, as if the other person is about to hit her at any moment.

5. They feel as if they carry a heavy responsibility

Abused women feel guilty. They feel they bear the blame for what happens to them. They also often think they deserve to be spanked by their partner. This also translates to the other areas of their lives.

In general, they will often take the blame and responsibility when it is not really necessary.

If someone constantly behaves like this, it means that they have a very low self-esteem. These people tend to be submissive all the time.

These women are very vulnerable. It is often quite difficult to help them. Sometimes it is even impossible, because they themselves think they deserve what happens to them. Their self-esteem is so low that they hurt themselves.

But if you know what to look for, it can help you not to judge. Don’t bring down someone who is already drowning and is going through a very difficult and intense period in her life.

Abuse and abuse are still very much alive in our society,  but there are more and more ways to help women get out of this situation.