Risk Factors and Intersectionality

You may be wondering if a current relationship is dangerous, or you want to know more about your risk of Domestic Abuse in the future. Some things that make someone more likely to experience abuse (known as risk factors) are well known. For example, lack of access to support or previous experiences with abuse. Other factors are often overlooked, including how factors can add up to increase risk. Below, we cover some risk factors for the experience of abuse, and we introduce how intersecting risk factors can increase one’s risk of experiencing Domestic Abuse.

Many Risk Factors Are Well Known

Previous Abusive Behaviour

Use or Threat of a Weapon

Previous Child Abuse (or threat of)

Pregnancy

Social Isolation

The experience of the above risk factors within a relationship make future abuse more likely.

But Abuse Also Disproportionately Affects Minoritized Groups

Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Minorities

Ethnic, Religious, and Racial Minorities

Immigration Status

(Any form of) Disability

Financial Insecurity

Lack of Access to Education

There Are DA Organizations Specifically for Minoritized Groups

Galop offers services to LGBTQ+ people experiencing domestic violence and they have services specifically for youth aged 13-25.

Rise services to LGBTQ+ people experiencing domestic violence. Rise provides resources for early childhood (under 6), children (6-12), and youth (13+).

AMINA is a resource centre for Muslim women with programming specifically for those experiencing Domestic Abuse. They offer a helpline, one-on-one support, and group sessions/workshops focused on overcoming abusive relationships.

Shakti Women’s Aid offers support to racial and ethnic minority women and children who have or are experiencing Domestic Abuse. They have a helpline and online resources available in many different languages, including (but not limited to) Arabic, Hindi, Polish, Portuguese, and Swahili.

Surviving Economic Abuse offers resources and grants to people who are or have experienced Domestic Abuse and finacial insecurity.

There are many more resources available, some of which can be found on our External Resources page.