This means hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching, pulling hair, choking, burning, threatening with a weapon or injuring another person. In the wider sense, physical violence is also the destruction of or damage to personal property, home furnishings or the torturing of pets.

Behaviour which is abusive, devaluing or defamatory aims to destroy another person’s self-esteem and mental health. Over the long term, the identity of the woman who is the victim of such abuse and their perception of having rights or personal choices becomes limited. Mental abuse also includes ridiculing a person or insulting them in public.

Stalking is also a form of mental abuse. This means persistently following someone by pestering or calling on them, as well as repeated attempts at personal contact of a harassing or threatening nature.

This includes all sexual acts that are imposed or forced on a woman against her will, in particular rape. Sexual assaults are wrong – and they are also a criminal offence if committed by a spouse!

This refers to unequal access to financial resources. In such cases, the partner takes money or valuables away from the woman, determines how much money she can spend and what she can buy, forbids her from having her own bank account and stops her from working to prevent her independence.

Isolation is a common strategy for controlling and dominating women. This means locking someone up in their home and forbidding them from contacting their family, friends or acquaintances. Women are restricted in terms of their mobility.

Physical violence and mental abuse towards children and child abuse are criminal offences. Since 2016, seeing a loved one experience violence has been enshrined in the law as a threat to the wellbeing of children.