What is Post Separation Abuse?
Domestic violence includes different types of abuse: physical, sexual, financial, verbal, and emotional. Post separation abuse occurs when the survivor leaves the abuse, but the abuse continues. This is a common occurrence in abusive relationships, and there are several reasons why this occurs; the abuser will still be seeking to enforce power and control over their survivor, they will want to punish the survivor for leaving, and they will desire the sense that they are “winning”.
Post separation abuse disproves many myths about domestic violence such as “if the survivor just left then the abuse would end” or “leaving the abuse is simple, you just walk away”. Leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time and leaving does not guarantee that the abuse will end. Abusers thrive on the feeling of power and control, and they will continue to try and enforce it, even if the relationship has ended. A survey done in 2023, showed that 90% of survivors of domestic violence have experienced post separation abuse over the years.
Common types of post separation abuse are:
- Counter Parenting
- Alienation Allegations
- Neglectful/Abusive Parenting
- Financial Abuse
- Isolation
- Harassment/Stalking
- Coercive Control
- Legal/Litigation Abuse
*For further information on the types of post separation abuse, see the post separation power and control wheel. Scan_2025_03_10_12_13_47_108