Recognizing Spousal Abuse in Your Marriage

 Posted on June 13, 2024 in Divorce

Getting out of an abusive marriage is not easy. No matter what type of abuse your spouse has inflicted on you, leaving him can be emotionally challenging. Most abusers try to make their spouses believe that they need the abuser and cannot handle life on their own. You may have been made to feel that you are completely dependent on your abuser and cannot leave. However, when you begin divorce proceedings, you will likely find that your spouse manipulated you into feeling that way and you are perfectly capable of living without him. You need to be represented by an aggressive Will County, IL divorce lawyer who can help protect you against continued abuse during your divorce. Your spouse will likely try to complicate the divorce.

4 Forms of Abuse Married People Might Face

Recognizing that you are being abused in the first place is not always easy. Some forms of abuse are insidious. Types of spousal abuse include:

• Domestic violence - Your spouse does not need to be badly beating you for his actions to be considered domestic violence. Grabbing you to stop you from leaving, restraining you when you are trying to walk away, pushing you, or even ripping things like your phone out of your hand so you cannot call someone for help are all forms of violence. 
• Financial abuse - If your spouse limits your access to the marital finances - even if he works and you are a homemaker - is a common form of financial abuse. Taking out credit cards in your name or locking you out of the bank account are also types of financial abuse. You may be able to recover some of the funds you were denied access to during the divorce. 
• Emotional abuse - Emotional abuse is probably the most common form of spousal abuse, and it can be hard to recognize. Screaming at you, insulting you, disparaging you to other people, or blaming you for anything that goes wrong in his life are all examples of emotional abuse. 
• Sexual abuse - Just because you are married does not mean that your spouse can do whatever he wants to you sexually. You have the right to say no or to limit the types of sex acts you will consent to. If your spouse forces you to have sex when you do not want to or carries out sex acts you did not agree to, you are being sexually abused. 

Contact a Will County, IL Complex Divorce Attorney

Law Office of Ronald L. Hendrix, P.C. is committed to helping abused spouses through the divorce process. Our aggressive father-son team of Naperville, IL divorce lawyers will do all we can to protect your legal interests as you make a new life for yourself. Contact us at 630-355-7776 for a complimentary consultation.