What is Abuse?

In drawing up guidance locally, it needs to be recognised that the term ‘abuse’ can be subject to wide interpretation. The starting point for a definition is the following statement:

• Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons.

Abuse may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be physical, verbal or psychological, it may be an act of neglect or an omission to act, or it may occur when a vulnerable person is persuaded to enter into a financial or sexual transaction to which he or she has not consented, or cannot consent. Abuse can occur in any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it. Incidents of abuse may be multiple, either to one person in a continuing relationship or service context, or to more than one person at a time.

Some instances of abuse will constitute a criminal offence. Examples of actions which may constitute criminal offences are:

• assault, whether physical or psychological,
• sexual assault and rape,
• theft, fraud or other forms of financial exploitation,
• forms of discrimination, whether on racial or gender grounds.

In this respect vulnerable adults are entitled to the protection of the law in the same way as any other member of the public. In addition, statutory offences have been created which specifically protect those who may be incapacitated in various ways.