Recognition
The five forms abuse takes, and why so much of it leaves no visible mark at all.
Signs of abuse.
A quiet, plain-English course about what abuse actually looks like — including the kinds that leave no mark. Read it at your own pace. Nothing is saved, and you never have to answer anything.
About 65 minutes in total
13 short videos, each with a transcript
No account, no cookies, nothing stored
Safe Exit on every page
You don't have to decide anything, tell anyone, or be ready to leave. You can stop at any point and come back — or never come back. That is completely fine.
Before you begin
If someone might check this device, read this on a phone or computer they can't see — a friend's phone, a library computer, or a private browsing window. Nothing here is saved to your device, but your browser history may still record the visit.
The Safe Exit button, or the Esc key, leaves instantly at any moment. The videos never play on their own, and they start muted.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. For 24-hour confidential support, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
The chapters
Start wherever makes sense to you.
They build on each other, but each one stands on its own. If something specific brought you here, go straight to it.
Your progress
Your progress is kept only until you close this tab.
Nothing is ever sent to Clarespath or anyone else. This all stays in your browser.
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01
What is abuse?
Abuse is more than bruises. What it really is, why it rarely starts badly, and the loop that keeps people stuck.
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02
Domestic abuse signs
The five forms abuse takes — physical, emotional, economic, sexual and coercive control — in plain words.
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03
Coercion & blackmail
When a threat is used to make you pay, stay or obey. Why shame is the weapon — and the first steps out.
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04
Immigration abuse & your rights
When your visa, documents or fear of deportation are used to control you — and why leaving may not mean losing your status.
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05
Being watched
Phones, location, accounts, cameras and cars. How technology gets used to monitor and control — and what to do about it safely.
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06
Children
Children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right in UK law. What it does to them, what helps, and what happens with social services.
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07
The law and protection
What is actually a crime, what happens if you call the police, the orders that can protect you, and how to check someone's history.
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08
What now? Your next steps
Safety planning, staying safe on your phone, and how to take one small next step at your own pace.
A certificate, if you want one.
Some people find it helps to have something that says they did this — to show a support worker, or just to keep for themselves. It is made entirely on your own device and never sent anywhere.
Not yet. The certificate appears once every chapter is marked as read — 8 to go.
Optional. Leave it blank and the certificate stays anonymous — safer if anyone might come across the file.
You can call it anything. Something ordinary attracts less attention than “certificate”.
This is a free public-awareness course, not a professional qualification or accreditation. If saving a file is not safe, close this — nothing is lost that matters.
What you'll take away
Words for what's happening.
Not a diagnosis, and not a decision. Just a clearer picture — which is usually what makes the next step possible.
Your rights
What the law says about coercive control, blackmail, and your immigration status — whatever that status is.
A next step
Practical, low-risk things you can do today, and the people whose whole job is to help you for free.
When you're ready, put it into words.
The Clarespath tool turns what you've recognised here into a short private summary you can bring to a solicitor, IDVA or support worker — so you don't have to explain everything from the start.
Free · private · no account · nothing stored. Only continue if it's safe to do so on this device.
This course is for information and understanding only. It is not legal advice and does not replace a solicitor, adviser, or support worker. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. For 24-hour confidential support, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Nothing on this page is stored or sent anywhere.