Physical abuse includes hitting, pushing, misuse of medication or physically restraining someone.
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What is abuse?
Abuse is something that is done to another person that harms them. This may be a single act or repeated acts. Abuse or neglect may be deliberate or a result of negligence and ignorance. Unintentional abuse or neglect happens when pressures have built up or challenging behaviour has not been properly addressed.
Abuse and neglect can take make forms. They can include one or more of the following:
Financial or material abuse includes theft, fraud, trying to control someone’s financial decisions / transactions.
Sexual abuse includes rape and sexual assault or sexual acts that someone hasn’t consented to.
Psychological abuse can happen when someone is isolated, verbally abused or threatened.
Exploitation includes unfairly manipulating someone for profit or personal gain.
Neglect and acts of omission includes ignoring medical or physical care needs, failing to provide access to health services or withholding necessities of life.
Institutional abuse can happen in a social or health care establishment such as a hospital or care home. It includes poor practice, neglect or ill-treatment.
Mate crime is when someone is harmed by someone they believed to be a friend.
Hate incidents is an act of prejudice against someone. If it become violent or threatening, then it becomes a hate crime.