what is considered verbal abuse..?

Question

i think i have a friend who is being verbally abused by her dad, he yells at her for seriously stuff she can't help, about doctor bills because she has a urinary problem and so on for stuff like that...anyways what is considered verbal abuse how do i go about reporting it, and how can it be proved....

Answer 1

Verbal abuse is the act of belittling another Person, usually smaller, younger, Someone the Abuser feels power over. Telling Them they are stupid, dumb, ugly, that they can't do anything right, that they will never amount to anything. It crushes Ones self confidence, which opens the door to many, many future problems with relationships.

First call Your local District Attorneys Office. Ask if it is legal to tape a conversation with only one party knowing about it, in Your State. If it is legal, then get proof. You have to understand that Your Friend is going to be very scared to do anything about it. If it is investigated and found to not be life threatening, depending on the type of Family and Social Services you have in Your area, then Your Friend can be sent back home, and the abuse can escalate.

Your best bet is to discuss this with Your Family. Then, if they are willing, go to Your local Police Department, or Sheriff's Department and ask to speak to an Investigator. Discuss with Them the information You have, and what You suspect is happening. They can help to guide Your decision. But with the Police an actual Crime has to be committed. And I am not sure if Verbal Abuse has been declared a Criminal Offense. They may refer You to Family and Social Services. There again, You need to go with Your Parents and discuss this with Them, so You will know the process, and what the likelihood of anything actually being done is.

Your a good Friend to want to help. It might help to have Her over to Your house more often, and for Your Parents to try and befriend Her's. You know the old saying, keep Your Friends close, and Your enemies closer. That way You can take some pressure off of Your Friend. Her Parents can see how Parents should act, and hopefully everyone will benefit. But You have to realize that an abusive Person does not like to Socialize, and They will act differently around Others.

May God Bless Your Friend and Her Family, and You and Yours.

Answer 2

I can tell you first hand what verbal abuse is as I have been abused that way as well as the other 2 types of abuse. I have been verbally abused for at least the last 35 years and I am now 50.

Verbal abuse is when someone calls you names, yells at you, always telling you that you can't do anything right, gripes at you all the time for everything that you do. A person doesn't have to yell at you to verbally abuse you. Talking hateful to someone is a form of verbal abuse.

The verbal abuse will cause a person to have mental problems as well, cause them to have very low self esteem, make them very depressed. It can and most of the time causes that person to with draw from other people and become quite as they are afraid that others will start doing the same thing to them.

As far as your friend goes, it is very hard to prove verbal abuse unless someone hears that person being abused. If she will not admit to someone that he is verbally abusing her, there is not much that can be done about it, sad but true. All you can do is talk to someone at the school or church about it and see if they will talk to her. That is about all you can do. If she was being abused the other 2 ways, they would be very easy to prove and then something would get done. And most people that knows anything about verbal abuse will tell you that is really the worst type of abuse that a person can get.

Answer 3

Well i would consider verbal abuse being constantly cut down by someone and stuff like that so if thats what is going on then it possibly is verbal abuse

Answer 4

Tell your school counselor first. Her medical problems could and probably are a result of the abuse. You need to enlist the help of other adults to see how to procede. It is tricky to get someone to admit they are doing wrong and to get them to change. This is a sad but all too common thing nowadays.
Why doesn't her mother speak up and defend her. Is the mom too beaten down to fight back for the betterment of her kids?
If so then she needs help too.
I don't know enough of your situation to offer more. Does he drink? How old is your friend? Is she old enough to move out?
Could she move in with your family for a while? I don't expect that but am just putting out a possibility. Talk with a teacher or the school counselor and they should be able to give you more guidance than I can.
Good luck as you face this problem.

Answer 5

By the way you pose your question: " I think...." sounds like your not 100% sure of what is going on. Verbal abuse is a tricky subject. Name calling and being disrespectful isn't anyway to treat some one, but in most courts unless it's life or physical threating it becomes just name calling and being disrespectful. Get some facts and witness it if you can, before you go jumping the gun and getting yourself in a situation that can not be reversed.

Answer 6

YES, that is verbal abuse.
YES, you can do something about it.
Infact if you DON'T do something about it and you know about it then you are no better than the one who is abusing.
Stand by your friend and encourage her to talk to someone, a pastor, a guidance councelor, your parents.
The effects of verbal abuse are deep and wide and can last a lifetime... thank god there are people like you to help put an end to it.

Answer 7

Hey there, its unfortunate your mother is talking to you in this fashion. Mom's are suppose to be uplifting and Positive. Some times mom's do need to address certain situations however, there are positive ways to address them. Yelling can be abuse, if thats the way she communicates with you on a daily basis. I do consider your mom's comments to be extremely harmful to your self worth and if she continually downs you, you could stand a good chance of having self worth and self esteem issues now and when you grow up. Heres a question for you? Do you know the truth about yourself? That is what is important here. I want you to know you are very insightful and are miles ahead just for realizing the way your mom is talking and yelling at you that its NOT RIGHT. The next time your mom starts yelling at you "in a very even toned normal voice" respond back respectfully to her. Continue to do that for a long time. She might just pick up on it and realize what she's doing. Also, its important for you to work to know you are a good person, a good friend and a beautiful person at that. You can actually tell yourself that everyday, and it will impact your life. If you believe your mom's comments, that will harm you. I think you should talk to a counselor at school, especially if you are feeling abused. They can help. Also, I think its really important to let your mom know how you are feeling and how she makes you feel when she is yelling and downing you continually. This is easiest in a letter. That way she cant interrupt you and she will have to absorb every word you put on paper. Be Nice and sincere when you do it. Also, if there are some negative things you could possibly be doing to lend to the different situations, (like not coming home on time, or being mouthy) be woman enough to take ownership. I hope this helps......Be positive and for God Sakes, when you have kids, dont be a yeller and dont say negative things to them, strive to make them feel great about themselves. Educate yourself on what is right partenting...it looks like you already have a great start! Good luck! Shes your mom, shes suppose to teach you to feel good about yourself not BAD.

Answer 8

Verbal abuse is anything he says to her that puts her down and makes her feel upset. I don't really know how you go about reporting it. Maybe you could tell a teacher or counseler. Tell your parents maybe or a trusted adult. The only way to prove would be to have someone witness him doing it, have her tell someone, or record it.

Answer 9

What is considered verbal abuse is when someone degrades and humiliates you and usually this is the precursor to physical abuse. If you know your friend is dealing with this you can file an annonymous report with child and family services that this is going on and they will act on it.

Answer 10

Certainly if a person is yelled at as being stupid or ignorant or worthless and it goes on and on and on, it is verbal abuse. You might need to send in the social workers