What is Abuse

Woman Abuse

Also referred to as domestic violence or intimate partner violence.  This is an intentional pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour of one person over another.  It occurs in all communities regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or socio-economic status.

Abuse can be…

  • Financial abuse/exploitation – Any behaviour that reduces/eliminates a woman’s financial independence and/or decision-making.  This includes withholding or controlling access to money, stealing or taking away benefit payments or personal money, preventing access to household financial information, spending money on addiction, gambling, sexual services, using wealth to involve her in expensive legal proceedings or to manipulate or prolong legal proceedings

  • Spiritual – Any tactics that exert power and control over a woman’s spirituality and religious orientation.  This includes using religion to justify abuse or dominance, using church position for sex or favours, putting down spiritual beliefs, preventing access to temple, church or mosque, forced participation in religion or cults

  • Workplace violence/harassment – Excessive phone calls or text messages, disruptive visits to the workplace, leaving insulting or threatening messages

  • Social – Any behaviour that isolates and alienates a woman from her friends & families

  • Physical - slapping, hitting, choking, punching, biting, pulling hair, burning, use of weapons

  • Psychological/verbal/emotional – threats, name calling, insults, neglect & isolation, withholding love, intimidation, silent treatment, gaslighting, degradation, extreme jealousy, threats of suicide, stalking, controlling your time, what you do or how you look, not respecting your privacy, restricting food, coming home drunk or stoned, refusing to provide support or help out with children

  • Environmental – Tactics that result in a woman being afraid of her surroundings including slamming doors, punching walls, harming pets, driving too fast

  • Sexual – Any unwelcome or forced sexual activity.  This includes threats or coercion to obtain sex, forcing sex when you’re sick, after childbirth or surgery, treating her as a sexual object, refusing or forcing her to use contraception, forced abortion or pregnancy, pressure to perform sex with other people.

  • 20% of women in Canada live with a disability, and nearly 60% of them will experience violence in their lifetime

  • Indigenous women are 3 times more likely to report being the victim of a violent crime

  • 77.9 billion annually (direct & indirect impacts of domestic violence and cost to individuals, families and society)

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is understood along a continuum from street harassment, unwanted comment or jokes, voyeurism. exhibitionism, sharing sexual photographs without permission, sharing or unwanted viewing of degrading sexual imagery, online & mobile sexual harassment, fondling, incest, ritual abuse, rape (date, marital, partner, stranger, multiple perpetrators), rape during armed conflict, trafficking & sexual exploitation.

  • 15-25% of college & university aged women experience sexual abuse during their academic career

  • Women aged 15-24 present the highest rates of dating violence

  • Only 5% of sexual assaults are reported to police

Children Witnessing Domestic Violence

Almost 6 in 10 women with children who were assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the violent episode (Stats Canada, 2013).  Children who witness domestic violence SEE actual incidents of physical and/or sexual abuse, HEAR threats or fighting noises from another room, or OBSERVE the aftermath of physical abuse such as blood, bruises, tears, torn clothing and broken items.  Children may also be aware of the tension and fear in the home.  Children may be fearful and anxious, hypervigilant, worried for themselves and their mothers and siblings, may blame themselves for the abuse.  Because mom is struggling to survive, she may not be able to be fully present for her children and they may be starved for attention, affection and approval and feel physically, emotionally or psychologically abandoned.  Children who grow up in violent homes may replicate the use of intimidation and violence in their teen, adult and parenting experiences.  Boys who witness their mother’s abuse are more likely to batter their female partners and girls may grow up to accept threats and violence as the norm in relationships.

Impact of Witnessing Domestic Violence on Children

  • Each year in Canada 800,000 children are exposed to violence against their mothers

  • Almost 6 in 10 women with children who were assaulted by spouses said their children heard or saw the violent episode.