abuse / mistreatment
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abuse / mistreatment
The cruel, violent, or poor treatment of a person or animal that causes physical or emotional harm.
Die Tierschützer deckten einen Fall von schwerer Misshandlung auf dem Bauernhof auf.
The animal rights activists uncovered a case of severe abuse on the farm.
The prefix 'miss-' always expresses something negative, wrong, or bad. A 'Misshandlung' (abuse/mistreatment) is therefore a bad or wrong action or treatment.
Das Präfix „miss-“ findet man auch in Wörtern wie „Missverständnis“ oder „Misserfolg“.
The prefix 'miss-' is also found in words like 'Missverständnis' (misunderstanding) or 'Misserfolg' (failure).
To name the victim of the abuse, German often uses the genitive or the preposition 'von' followed by the dative.
Der Prozess handelte von der Misshandlung der Tiere.
The trial was about the mistreatment of the animals.
'Misshandlung' (abuse/mistreatment) is often described more precisely with adjectives such as 'körperlich' (physical), 'seelisch' (emotional), or 'schwer' (severe). Typical verbs are 'melden' (to report) or 'anzeigen' (to report to the authorities).
Seelische Misshandlung kann genauso schädlich sein wie körperliche Gewalt.
Emotional abuse can be just as harmful as physical violence.
violence / authority / force
'die Gewalt' and 'die Misshandlung' can both mean that harm is done to someone. 'Gewalt' is more general and refers to physical force or physical attacks. 'Misshandlung' describes cruel or very bad treatment of people or animals, often over a certain period of time or in a particularly serious form. The harm can be physical or emotional. The words can be confused because abuse often includes violence. 'Gewalt' fits when the use of force is involved. 'Misshandlung' is more precise when the bad treatment itself is the focus.
Die Nachbarin meldete die Misshandlung des Hundes, weil sie sich große Sorgen machte.
The neighbor reported the abuse of the dog because she was very worried.
Frau Meier hat die Gewalt auf der Straße beobachtet und sofort Hilfe gerufen.
Mrs. Meier saw the violence on the street and immediately called for help.