Center for Hope & Safety
Patterns of Sexual Abuse
Abusers often use sexual assaults and/or harassment as a tool against their partner. It can be difficult for victims and survivors of sexual assault to discuss this form of abuse. Center for Hope and Safety encourages survivors and their supporters to become aware of the patterns of sexual abuse.
The following is a list of sexually abusive behaviors:
- Abuser jokes about women and sex in the presence of the victim
- Looks on women as sex objects
- Pretends to be extremely jealous
- Minimizes the victim’s feelings and needs regarding sex
- Criticizes the victim in sexual terms
- Touches the victim against the victim’s wishes (molestation)
- Withholds sex and affection
- Attaches sexual labels to the victim: “slut”, “whore”, “frigid”
- Always demands sex
- Forces the victim to undress as a form of humiliation (this may be in front of the children in the home)
- Abuser is promiscuous with others
- Forces the victim to witness his sexual acts with others
- Uses threats to back up his demands for sex
- Forces the victim to have sex with him or others
- Forces sex after beating the victim
- Abuser uses objects and/or weapons in sexual acts
- Sadism, mutilation
- Murder
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