Toxic relationships: how to spot them and what you can do

2021-09-25T16:50:22.380Z

Some 736 million women have suffered violence at the hands of a partner or other people and one in four young people between the ages of 15 and 24 who have had an intimate relationship will have suffered it by the time they reached 25.

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(CNN Spanish) -

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), "almost half of all women in the United States have suffered at least one form of psychological aggression by a partner."

The institution clarifies that violence between couples "occurs at any age, ethnic group, gender, economic status, between people with disabilities, and between heterosexual and same-sex couples."

However, the main victims of this type of violence are usually women.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Women, a third of the world's women are victims of physical or sexual violence, generally from a very young age.

Of 87,000 women murdered in 2017, 58% died at the hands of their partner or family members, says a 2018 UN study. In addition, more than a third of them were killed by their current or former partner.

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How to detect if you are in a toxic relationship?

Abuse in relationships is defined as any behavior that a person exhibits in a relationship to obtain and maintain control of their partner verbally, physically, emotionally, psychologically and sexually.

Identifying a violent relationship can be very difficult.

And it may be even more difficult to admit it.

The most important thing is to know that abuse can manifest itself in various ways and is not just physical.

It can be psychological, emotional or economic, among other ways.

These are some signs that can alert you to a toxic or abusive relationship:

Your partner controls where and with whom you are all the time
Make decisions for you
Control your method of contraception
Discourage you from studying or working
Denigrates you
Forces you to have sex

Source:

United Nations, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Mayo Clinic

What to do in a toxic or abusive relationship?

"Sometimes it's hard to tell if your relationship with your partner is going astray," says a US Department of Health post on its website.

"While it's not always possible to spot signs of dating violence, there are things you can do to recognize unhealthy relationships and seek help before they turn violent."

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In that sense, the Department of Health recommends the following: