Inspiring Talks with Ilhaam - Generational abuse and domestic violence During September we are dealing with trauma on the Cape Flats Nadia-Toni Jacobs is the resident counsellor at Belthorn Primary School. Her qualifications are consultant in social psychology, mindful practitioner and senior counselor. Generational abuse, often referred to as intergenerational trauma or violence, is a cycle in which patterns of abusive behavior are passed down from one generation to the next within a family. This occurs when a person who experienced or witnessed abuse as a child either becomes a perpetrator or a victim of abuse in their adult relationships. The trauma and learned behaviors are perpetuated, normalizing violence and making it difficult to break the cycle without intervention. Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a pattern of abusive behaviors used by one partner in a relationship to gain or maintain power and control over the other. This can take many forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological abuse. It is not limited to physical harm; it includes any actions that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, or isolate a person from their support systems.