Financial Abuse

Financial Abuse is a type of abuse where currency is used as a method of shaming, controlling, or otherwise harming the victim.
^{*Note that many of these examples will depend on context and the type of relationship involved, ex. There may be different expectations and boundaries within a romantic relationship vs. a parent-child relationship}

Examples of Financial Abuse include, but aren't limited to:
-Holding money over your head, such as to prove a point, to create codependency, or to control how much you spend
-Shaming you for how much or how little money you spend
-Telling you that you are too expensive to care for
-Stealing money from you
-Not allowing you your own savings or bank account because they tell you that you cannot be trusted with it
-Often bringing up finances, and how equally you spend money in your relationship
-Pressuring or forcing you into spending money
-Allowing you money or spending money on you as a reward, and refusing to let you spend money if you have not "earned it"
-Taking your money or savings as a punishment, or hiding your money to teach you a lesson
-Telling you that they are the only one responsible enough to handle money in your relationship
-Making large, shared financial decisions without informing you
-Spending your money "for you" when you did not agree to it
-Using your own money to buy you gifts without asking you for permission first
-Promising to give you money after you do them a favor, then refusing it
-Not giving you agreed-upon money in return for work or physical labor
-Guilting you into giving them money
-Refusing to give you money when you need it for necessities such as food or medical care, yet spending money freely on vacations or luxury items

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Medical Neglect & Abuse

Medical Abuse is a type of abuse involving health or medical care.
Medical Abuse may involve mistreatment within the medical system, or by a caregiver meant to be taking care of your medical health.
Medical Neglect, where you are not getting the medical treatment you need, is also a type of Medical Abuse.
Medical Abuse may be purposeful or accidental, and done either knowingly or unknowingly.

Examples of Medical Abuse include, but aren't limited to:
-A healthcare professional unnecessarily harming you during a procedure or exam
-A healthcare professional asking you invasive, unneeded questions
-A healthcare professional recommending unneeded treatments or procedures not for your health but for their own motives
-A healthcare professional touching you inappropriately when not required, or not asking your consent before touching you [Also see Sexual Abuse]
-Being prescribed the wrong drugs on purpose
-Inappropriate "jokes" from your provider about your body, condition, or symptoms
-A healthcare professional wanting to see you naked "out of curiosity" rather than for any medical need [Also see Sexual Abuse]
-Being treated like a science experiment by your provider or other healthcare professional rather than as a human being
-A healthcare professional hurting you on purpose, for their own gain
-A healthcare professional purposefully giving you an incorrect diagnosis or giving you placebo pills because they believe you are faking or drug-seeking
-Someone who is not knowledgeable enough about your body or condition to be treating you still attempting to treat you anyway or acting as though they are an expert on it (Such as a urologist telling you you must have been misdiagnosed because you're "Too high functioning" to be autistic, or a psychologist telling you to stop taking your antibiotics before finishing the course for a skin infection because the area does not have pus coming out of it anymore so you must not actually need them)
-Being mistreated in a medical setting on the basis of your identity, such as race, gender identity, sex, weight, age, religion, or so on.Examples of Medical Neglect:
-Not having your medical needs met, such as your parents not taking you to appointments, not keeping you up to date on regular vaccines, not getting you tested when needed, or not picking up your medications
-Being forced to go to work or school even when sick or injured
-Having health issues brushed off as "Unless all your bones are broken and you're bleeding out, you're fine" or similar sentiments
-Being told to stop acting sick or they'll show you what real suffering feels like [Also see Physical Abuse]
-Parents or caregivers refusing to comply with urgent recommendations from a doctor
-Your health issues being brushed off as a mental, diet, weight, or hormonal problem, or being asked "Is it that time of the month?" when you tell them you are in pain or nauseous instead of taking your issues seriously
-Being told "Everyone struggles with this, get over with it/deal with it" or "That's normal, don't worry about it" to brush off your very real issues
-Being called a hypochondriac or crazy instead of being listened to [Also see Emotional & Psychological Abuse]
-A healthcare professional or caregiver not appropriately caring about your medical needs or brushing you off when you are in need of help or tests
-Being told you are faking your disorders or illnesses instead of believing you are actually sick or struggling
-Healthcare professionals ignoring you, cancelling your appointments, or refusing to see you
-Your health records being "lost" or hidden from you
-Hiding your own diagnoses or treatment history from you
-Being prescribed the wrong drugs because they failed to properly review your medical history
-A healthcare professional not following proper procedure, such as not sanitizing the area, wearing gloves, or washing their hands

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Ritual Abuse & Cults

^{*Not to be confused with Ritualistic & Habitual Abuse.}
Ritual Abuse is a type of abuse often associated with cults and other extreme, organized groups, though may not be exclusive to them.
Ritual Abuse may be simplified down to "Ritualistic & Habitual Abuse with an agenda or complex end goal".
Whereas Ritualistic & Habitual Abuse simply is abuse following a pattern or ritual, it becomes Ritual Abuse when done methodically towards a goal, such as for religious sacrifice, underage marriage, creating military soldiers, or gaining political control.The types of organizations associated with Ritual Abuse are often known to utilize extreme, severe, repeated forms of abuse in order to control their victims.
Ritual Abuse is commonly known to involve every other type of abuse, and it will also commonly involve both Mind Control and Organized Abuse.Ritual Abuse may also be shortened to "RA".Ritual Abuse is not always related to religion, and may be political or related to pseudoscience or healthcare or other topics instead.Ritual Abuse is included in the acronym RAMCOA (Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, Organized Abuse).

Ritual Abuse is often long-term, highly-controlled, and carried out through scheduled events, rituals, ceremonies, or performed underneath an overarching religious or political agenda, such as having victims believe they are preparing for or are already living through the end of the world, the rapture, or Government or military invasion.Due to the highly-organized nature of Ritual Abuse, often the motives for the abuse are highly religious or political in nature, making it easier for victims to buy into the group's indoctrination and excuse the abuse as necessary for accomplishing the group's goals, or even as positive or "the right thing to do".Ritual Abuse groups may also preach various half-truths, truths mixed in with false information, or hide, obscure, or misleadingly present facts in order to seem more believable. They may also prevent members from learning information not given to them by the group, or try to make outsiders seem unreliable so that any outside information learned by victims is easily or automatically brushed off as untrue.Cults
Ritual Abuse is not always performed in a cult setting, and not all cults may perform Ritual Abuse, however since Ritual Abuse is most commonly associated with cults, a definition of cults is included on this page.There does not seem to be an agreed upon definition of the term "cult", despite it being used so often both by survivors and within media and literature.
This Carrd opts to use a broad definition of the term "cult" in order to be inclusive of larger cults (Such as Scientology), non-religious cults (Such as certain kinds of Government projects or military programs), and cults which do not necessarily utilize any "new" or "odd" religious ideology and instead lean back on very traditional and known religious ideologies but which would otherwise fit the definition of "cult" (Such as certain Catholic cults).This Carrd defines a cult as a high-control group which follows or worships a belief system, concept, or person(s), and utilizes manipulation or abuse tactics in order to maintain this structure. Often, the belief system or ideology will involve every aspect of life and how a person "should" live, think, and feel.In a cult, there will generally be a leader or system of leaders or higher-ups which maintain power over the cult. Cult members may need permission from these people in order to do certain things, in some cases even as simple as what to eat, drink, where to live, what to wear, who to associate with socially, and other basic life decisions.The cult members are often not given enough information on the cult and its belief system(s) to form informed consent prior to joining or during their time in the cult, and/or they are coerced or forced into staying once in the cult.
If they choose to leave, the cult member may be threatened with punishment, divine intervention (Such as Hell or karma), or shunning (Or other damage to social, familial, or monetary standing).The cult maintains systematic control over its members, often placing heavy emphasis on obedience, threats, punishments, coercion, isolation, and/or fear or guilt.

• Common RAMCOA Terms

• Common RAMCOA Acronyms

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Ritualistic & Habitual Abuse

^{*Not to be confused with Ritual Abuse & Cults.
Note that some sources may not make a distinction between "Ritual" and "Ritualistic".}
Ritualistic and Habitual Abuse is a type of abuse which often follows a specific pattern, such as abuse being performed at a certain time of day, before a certain event, or consistently performed in a specific way.

Examples of Ritualistic & Habitual Abuse include, but aren't limited to:
^{*Note: Many of these may overlap with Ritual Abuse & Cults and Mind Control.}
-Abuse occurring consistently at a certain time of day or on a schedule, such as being sexually assaulted daily or being psychologically abused each night once the sun goes down, or longer-term habits such as abuse occurring every four weeks or on a certain date each year
-Abuse or specific kinds of abuse consistently occurring in a certain location or setting
-Abuse events following certain patterns, such as physical abuse always leading into sexual abuse
-Abuse being performed before or during ceremonies or events, such as religious rituals, holidays, birthdays, graduation, or other life events or milestones
-Abuse consistently taking place in a similar fashion after a sequence of events takes place, such as being beaten after the abuser drinks alcohol or being set up to fail and then being screamed at for it
-Abuse consistently happening during specific events, such as during homework time or on the ride to school
-Abuse being performed occasionally in order to "upkeep" conditioned responses or programming so that trained responses do not deteriorate [Also see Conditioning & Programming]
-Abuse being performed once certain conditions are met, such as when the victim turns a certain age or meets a new developmental milestone
-Abuse being performed under certain rules, such as needing the abuse to be performed methodically following specific steps
-Abuse performed in specific settings, such as dressing the victim in specific kinds of clothing or preparing the room in a specific way before the abuse is carried out
-Preparation before the abuse occurs, such as planning out the abuse or telling the victim they will be abused before it is done (Such as planning how a child will be sexually assaulted before going through with it, or telling a victim they will be beaten when they come home from school or work that day)
-Abuse being carried out as a celebration or as a test of strength or loyalty, such as that done in military abuse or forced perpetration
-Abuse being treated as a milestone, such as sexual abuse being carried out as a celebration of a child coming into puberty, or a male child being physically abused or neglected after a certain age to symbolize becoming a "real" man

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Domestic & Familial Abuse

Domestic & Familial Abuse is a type of abuse performed within relationships, marriages, and families.
Any form of abuse taking place within a family or relationship setting would fall under Domestic & Familial Abuse.
This can include any kind of abuse, including Emotional & Psychological, Physical, Sexual, Neglectful, or other abuse types outlined elsewhere in this Carrd.Domestic & Familial Abuse is often excused with phrases such as "That's just how families are" or "Couples always fight", however this is untrue and Domestic & Familial Abuse is a legitimate and recognized form of abuse.

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Education-Related & Academic Abuse

Education-Related and Academic Abuse is a type of abuse which relates to education or educational settings in some way.
This may include abuse done by teachers, other students, or people outside of an educational setting such as a partner trying to control what you study or a parent shaming you over homework.
Education-Related Abuse may be purposeful or accidental, and done either knowingly or unknowingly.Education-Related Abuse is a more broad umbrella term for any abuse relating to education or occurring in an educational setting, while Academic Abuse is a type of Education-Related Abuse which occurs when a person deliberately goes out of their way to make someone feel bad about focusing on their academics, or sabotages their ability to get the education they need or want. This may include making fun of someone for studying or constantly interrupting someone when they’re trying to focus. ^{(Definition from Lena Suarez-Angelino, LCSW)}Because this page is long, education-related abuse from other students is located on the Peer Abuse & Bullying page.

Examples of Education-Related & Academic Abuse include, but aren't limited to:
From Teachers:
-Teachers making a bad example of you or otherwise singling you out from others
-Teachers yelling at you
-Teachers promising a reward and then not giving it once you fill their requirements
-Teachers telling you you will never pass or get a job
-Teachers insulting you or asking you why you can't just do the work or understand the content
-Teachers having very high expectations of you that you can never fulfill
-Teachers punishing or threatening you with punishment for things you do not understand, for being mentally ill or having anxiety, for being physically sick or disabled, for not "getting it", for not being social enough, or for not listening well enough when you don't know what they are asking of you
-Teachers physically touching, pushing, or grabbing you without asking or in a way that is threatening, or not stopping or letting go when you ask
-Teachers accusing you of not caring or paying attention, or of not taking their class seriously when you're trying your best
-Teachers threatening you with calling your parents, sending you to the principal's office, writing a referral, or calling security on you for things you do not understand, or for asking for basic needs or questions or reasonable accommodations, especially when they won't listen to your reasoning and even act worse if you try to explain yourself
-Teachers isolating you from peers, or teachers forcing you to interact with peers or themselves and threatening punishment if you do not socially engage
-Teachers not allowing you basic needs such as the bathroom, getting water, or taking a break outside to calm yourself down
-Teachers forcefully taking comfort items or accommodations away
-Teachers making jokes about you or your friends that hurt you
-Teachers ignoring you when you ask for help
-Teachers accusing you of being a "smart-ass", of being lazy, or other insults
-Teachers not allowing you to go to the SPED room, nurse's office, or school counselors office
-Teachers making comments about your schoolwork, about how you could be doing much better, or accusing you of being avoidant on purpose because "you were fine the other day"
-Teachers accusing or implying you are faking disability or stress
-Teachers telling you to shut up, screaming, or getting in your face
-Teachers making inappropriate sexual comments about you or your friends, or teachers making violent comments in general, either towards others or towards you
-Teachers being emotionally unstable, never being sure how they will react or if they will blow up at you
-Teachers getting upset with you when you do not ask for help
-Teachers calling your questions stupid when you ask for help or going on a rant about how far behind you are
-Teachers publicly speaking on students' grades, or calling out students for having bad grades
-Teachers "giving up on" you
-Teachers berating the class in general, even if not directed at you
-Teachers talking about how your class is the worst class, or threatening not to pass students over minor things or actions regardless of their schoolwork quality
-Teachers not being understanding of you having struggles or a life outside the classroom
-Teachers making comments on your appearance or weight
-Teachers not believing you when you report bullying or teasing
-Teachers joining in when a classmate or classmates tease you or harm you
-Teachers not stepping in when another student is harming or teasing you
-Teachers making you feel guilty for not spending enough time on classwork, on not coming to class on time, on not talking to them enough, or for being depressed or sick
-Teachers not allowing you to eat lunch because you did not do your work, leaving you hungry
-Teachers doing inappropriate sexual things in the classroom, such as sexual jokes or acting out sexuality on an object or person in the classroom
-Teachers speaking about people like you (ex. queer people, black people) in a way that is derogatory, offensive, or makes you feel unsafe as someone of that group in their classroom
-Teachers punishing the entire class for something you did, leading the other students to hate you
-Teachers not taking care to make sure you succeed
-Teachers neglecting you when you are depressed, anxious, having a hard time understanding, or sick
-Teachers dismissing your needs (academic, physical, emotional, etc.) because you are seen as "high-functioning"
-Teachers expressing disappointment in your failures for not "living up to your potential"
-Teachers issuing group punishments or rewards (which puts extreme pressure on underperforming students and can create tension between peers)
-Teachers/school staff refusing to understand or accommodate for complications in your home life (eg lack of a computer, food insecurity, etc.)
-Teachers/school staff forcing you to sit with bullies or otherwise failing to adequately mediate conflict
-Parents or teachers treating things like being held back a grade as unacceptable even if it would be the best course of action for your needs
-Parents or teachers commenting on how talented you "used" to be if you begin to decline academically
-Parents or teachers showing favoritism (overt or subtle) to relatives/students who perform better academically
-Parents or teachers failing to be proactive in accommodating if you begin to struggle
-Parents or teachers dismissing your emotional struggles because of your performance
-Parents, teachers, or peers pressuring you to place academics above your mental or physical well-beingFrom Parents, Partners, & Others:
-Preventing you from working on papers or studying for tests
-Saying they don’t love you if you spend time on work instead of spending time together
-Calling you at all hours, especially before tests and other important academic assignments
-Blaming you for poor grades
-Monitoring your behavior during class or taking all of the same classes as you
-Belittling your academic focus/choice
-Making fun of you for studying too much
^{(From the Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness)}
-Not being supportive of your academic focus
-Calling and demanding to talk right before an exam or big project is due
-Adding surprise stressors to your life when distractions will have a negative impact on you
-Constantly interrupting and demanding your attention when you’re trying to focus
-Making you feel bad about spending time on your academics instead of spending time with them
-Claiming you don’t love them because you’re focusing on academics instead of them
-Monitoring your every move and possibly even taking the same classes as you
-Blaming you for poor grades after deliberately sabotaging you
^{(From Lena Suarez-Angelino, LSCW, on Academic Abuse)}
-Parents not seeming to care when you struggle or succeed academically.
-Parents failing to provide academic and/or emotional support when you are struggling in school.

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Peer Abuse & Bullying

Peer Abuse & Bullying is a type of abuse performed by peers.
This may be any form of psychological, physical, sexual, neglectful, medical, or other abuse.
Any abuse which already falls under an above category and is performed by peers would fall under Peer Abuse.
Peer Abuse & Bullying may happen either online or in-person.
Peer Abuse & Bullying may be purposeful or accidental, and done either knowingly or unknowingly.There is no massive distinction made between the words Peer Abuse & Bullying - Some survivors just prefer the term "Peer Abuse" over the term "Bullying", because it calls it what it is - Abuse.

Examples of Peer Abuse & Bullying include, but aren't limited to:
-A person putting you down, mocking you, or insulting you, either in a public place or privately (Such as on an online forum or in private messaging, or following you to an isolated area to insult you)
-Harassment of any sort, including disrespecting boundaries, block-evasion, or turning other people against you or using others to hurt you
-Not asking first if something is okay before doing it, such as "reality checks", sending nudes, or touching you (Whether in a sexual way or not)
-Someone posting you online as an example of "cringe", "ugly", "fat", "creepy", etc. for others to make fun of
-Harmful "pranks"
-Having your online account(s) hacked, scammed, or identity theft
-Blackmail
-Others purposefully leaving you out of group activities
-Death threats, suicide baiting, or doxxing
-Others "rating" you on your appearance, personality, or behavior
-Telling others private information or secrets about you that you did not want shared, or sharing private photos without permission
-Purposeful attempts to scare or humiliate you
-Creating websites, art, or other media which target you (Such as creating memes about how stupid you are and sharing them with others, or impersonating you with the intent to mock you)
-"Trolling", "rage-baiting", or otherwise attempting to get a negative reaction out of you
-Lying, tricking you, or going behind your back ("Backstabbing")From Students:
^{Note that while this section was written specifically to cover peer abuse within an academic setting, you can also apply these to friends and coworkers.}
-Students laughing at you or making mean or insensitive comments
-Rumors being spread about you
-Students making comments that are discriminatory, either directly towards you or not (ex. constantly hearing kids shout the r slur in the hallways, or students calling each other faggots in the classrooms and the teachers doing nothing about it)
-Students throwing things at you
-Students making fun of things about you such as weight or identity
-Students making sexual comments to or about you
-Students following you around in a way that feels unsafe
-Students not leaving you alone
-Being forced to sit next to students that are harassing you or do not like you
-Students accusing you of faking disability or trauma
-Students putting you down when you accomplish something or answer a question correctly
-Students laughing or making fun of you when you answer a question incorrectly
-Students whispering about you with peers
-Students stealing from you
-Students touching, pushing, or grabbing you without permission
-Students crossing boundaries knowingly
-Students physically harming you in any way
-Students threatening to harm or rape you
-Students calling you slurs or mocking you based on your race, ethnicity, or identity (ex. pulling their eyes to the sides to make fun of you for having "asian eyes")
-Students making comments about you or your family's living or financial situation
-Students making fun of your beliefs or morals
-Students telling the teachers things you did not do and getting you in trouble for it
-Students making fun of your skills, ex. bad english or art skills
students being touchy with you without permission
-Students calling you names, nicknames, or sexual names without permission
-Students reducing you down to one aspect of your identity (ex. the weird gay kid)
-Students acting as if they are your friend, but lying
-Students forcing themselves to be your friend when you try to push them away
-Students cornering you
-Students calling you ugly, or saying nobody would ever date you
-Students asking if you are pregnant or just fat
-Students picking on you based on your clothing choices, food choices, or religion
-Students calling you sexual insults for talking to the opposite sex (Such as "You're such a whore, you have too many male friends, I bet you're trying to fuck them")

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