Violence doesn't always scream. Sometimes it whispers. It doesn't always leave marks on the skin, but it does on the soul. And often it disguises itself as "normal" until we learn to recognize it. That's what we call subtle violence .

It's the "innocent" joke that actually hurts.
It's a comment that seeks to minimize who you are or what you do.
It is the intentional silence that excludes you.
It's that look that makes you feel less.

Subtle violence lives in gestures, in disguised words, in attitudes that are repeated so often they seem habitual. And the most dangerous thing: it can become ingrained in daily life without the person experiencing it even noticing.

Some examples:
🔹 Comments that ridicule your opinion, even if they are said "in jest".
🔹 Excessive demands accompanied by phrases like "if you were really capable...".
🔹 Devaluing your achievements with unfair comparisons.
🔹 Invalidating your emotions: “You’re exaggerating,” “That’s nothing.”
🔹 Using silence as emotional punishment.

Subtle violence is debilitating because it operates invisibly. It makes you doubt yourself, generates guilt, and erodes self-esteem. Recognizing it is an essential step in saying: this isn't right, I don't deserve this, I don't have to put up with it .

Talking about it isn't exaggerating, it's making it visible. Because only what is named can change. And because no form of violence is "small" when it wounds dignity.

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed; he is their stronghold in times of trouble."
Psalms 9:9