Definition
Woman abuse is the intentional and regular use of tactics to establish and maintain power and control over the thoughts, beliefs and behaviour of a woman by creating fear and/or dependency. All forms of abuse result in the woman losing some if not all dignity, control, safety and personal power. Abused women change their behaviour, preferences and/or choices because they fear the consequences or retaliation of their abusive partner.
Dynamics of Abuse
Abuse against someone occurs in families of all socioeconomic, educational and cultural backgrounds and is found in both rural and urban settings. The perpetrators of woman abuse are often individuals with whom the women have or have had personal relationships. Women in lesbian relationships can also be at risk for abuse. Abuse can be shown in many ways, but most frequently it involves a repeated, escalating pattern of incidents. Typically, abuse escalates in frequency and/or severity and once abusers use physical violence, they are likely to intensify their assaults and increase the woman’s risk of harm and serious life threatening injury.
Tactics of control can begin to appear very slowly as coercive behaviours that may not be criminal in nature. This subtle process makes it very difficult for the woman, as well as friends, family or professionals to recognize it as abuse. Women identify the emotional and psychological consequences of abuse as more damaging than the physical assaults. While emotional abuse can occur in the absence of physical abuse, the two occur together in the majority of cases.
Abusive behaviour does not result from individual, personal or moral deficits, diseases, diminished intellect, addiction, mental illness, poverty, the other person’s behaviour or external events. Perpetrators act from a set of beliefs and attitudes about how men and women should relate in intimate relationships. They generally believe that they have the right to enforce their will on the female partners. The abuser’s choice to use violence is completely independent of the actions of the victim.
TYPES OF WOMAN ABUSE
Environmental Abuse
Any tactics used that result in a woman being fearful of her surroundings. E.g. slams doors, punches walls, harms pets, drives too fast.
Physical Abuse
Any unnecessary/unwanted physical contact caused by another person resulting in bodily harm, discomfort and/or injury. E.g. slaps, kicks, restrains, chokes, restricts food.
Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Any act that provokes fear, diminishes the individual’s dignity or self-worth, and/or intentionally inflects psychological trauma on another person. E.g. yelling, intimidation, silence, playing on emotions, degradation, treatment as though a child, coming home drunk or stoned, refuses to allow or forces her to use contraception, refuses to provide support or help out with the baby.
Sexual Abuse
Any unwelcome or forced sexual activities. E.g. any unwanted sexual contact, forces her to have sex, forces her to have sex with others, utters threats to obtain sex, forces sex when she is sick, after childbirth or surgery, treats her as a sex object.
Verbal Abuse
The use of negative comments that are unwelcome, embarrassing, offensive, threatening and/or degrading to a woman. E.g. name calling, false accusations, lying, saying one thing and meaning another.
Financial Abuse
Any behaviours that reduce/eliminate a woman’s financial independence and/or financial decision-making. E.g. takes her money, forges her name, withholds money, spends money on addiction, gambling, sexual services, keeps family finances a secret.
Social Abuse
Any behaviour resulting in the isolation and alienation of a woman from friends or family. E.g. controls what she does, whom she sees and talks to, fails to pass on messages, treats her like a servant, makes a "scene" in public.
Religious Abuse
Any tactics that exert power and control over a woman’s spirituality and religious orientation. E.g. uses religion to justify abuse or dominance, uses church position to pressure for sex or favours.
ABUSE AS CONTROL
All forms of abuse are attempts to control. Traditional attitudes and hierarchic structuring of society have supported the dominance of the male and the subservience of the female. Anger and aggressiveness are considered appropriate ways to resolve conflict, particularly for men. Social and legal traditions have also allowed woman abuse to be treated as a private matter within the family home. These traditions combined with the effects of the abuse may cause an abused woman to:
- Believe she provokes her partner’s abuse and that she did something to deserve it
- Believe that if she changes what she does or says, her partner will stop the abuse
- Feel guilty about the violence
- Deny the full extent of terror and anger that she feels
- Be very concerned with trying to keep the family together
- Be ashamed of her injuries and try to hide the fact that this is happening in her home
- Believe that this happens only to her and to no one else
- Believe that no one can help her
- Underestimate her ability to do things, not believing that she can take care of herself
- Demonstrate incredible endurance in surviving.
STATISTICS ABOUT WOMAN ABUSE
- Women are three times more likely than men to report being injured in assaults by their spouses.
- In 2000, 85% of all spousal abuse victims reported to police were women.
- Women with disabilities are at higher risk when compared to the total female population.
- Violence against women occurs at any point in a relationship.
- 10% of intentional injuries to adolescent females are inflicted by male dating partners.
- 16% of abused women report experiencing abuse before marriage.
- 40% of abused women report that abuse began during pregnancy; 21% of abused women state the abuse continued during pregnancy.
- 20% of abused women report that abuse occurred or increased in severity after the relationship ended or during separation.
- 39% of abused women report that their children witnessed the violence against them.
- Children who grow up witnessing woman abuse are more likely to be in violent situations and relationships when they grow up.
IMPACT OF ABUSE ON WOMEN’S HEALTH
Forty-five percent of woman abuse results in physical injury. The psychological effects of this can be far-reaching: 85% of abused women indicate that they have experienced some type of negative emotional effects – anger, fear, becoming less trusting, suffering from lowered self esteem, depression, anxiety, shame and guilt. In order to combat these effects, 25% of these women report having used alcohol, drugs or medication.
Health Effects of Woman Abuse
Physical Health Effects:
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Stab wounds
- Concussions
- Perforated ear drums
- Loss of hair
- Chronic stomach/bowel pain or discomfort
- Chronic joint or muscle pain
- Palpitations
- Firearm wounds
- Bruises
- Cuts/abrasions
- Bites
- Sprains
- Chipped or lost teeth
- Internal injuries
- Chronic headache
- High blood pressure
- Detached retina
- Substance abuse problems
Sexual Health Effects:
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Chronic genital or pelvic pain
- Bruising or tearing of the vagina or anus
- Frequent pregnancies
- Fear of sexual intimacy
- Miscarriages
- Chronic vaginal or urinary track infections
- Female genital mutilation
- Painful intercourse
- Infertility
Psychological Health Effects:
- Low self esteem
- Difficulty in forming/maintaining relationships
- Anxiety
- Lack of appropriate boundaries
- Self degradation
- Chronic stress
- Uncontrolled or rapid anger response
- Memory loss
- Loss of concentration or productivity
- Self-abusive behaviour
- Problems with parenting children
- Frequent crying
- Passivity
- Unusual fear response
- Increased watchfulness
- Sleep disturbances
- Phobias
Psychiatric Health Effects:
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Suicidal thoughts
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Dissociation
ACCESSING RESOURCES
There are multiple barriers that abused women face in trying to cope with the problem of abuse, either when trying to decide whether to disclose the abuse, making the decision to leave, or when accessing services for herself or her family.
Abused women identify many reasons for not disclosing their experiences to their families, friends or professionals. These reasons could include: a need for privacy, isolation, a lack of knowledge about agencies, difficulties with agencies due to prior negative experiences, cost, consequences of approaching an agency (i.e. fear of losing children), not wanting to have charges laid against the partner, hoping that things will get better and fearing that the partner will find out about the disclosure and inflict punishment. A woman may feel unable to disclose the abuse for fear they would not be understood, their concerns may not be taken seriously, or they may be blamed for the abuse.
Society has traditionally placed the accountability for violence on the victim rather than on the abuser. Many options might not be available to women because of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religious affiliation, physical and mental disabilities, immigration status, education, employment status and marital status.
It is essential that family, friends and professionals understand the complexities of woman abuse and to be clear that it is not the woman’s fault that she is being abused. In order for women to be able to disclose and confront the abuse, there must be trust, genuine caring and an openness that will be present as the woman prepares to deal with the abusive situation.
Source: Family Health Services Orientation Manual – Woman Abuse Awareness and Response, Routine Universal Comprehensive Screening (RUCS), Middlesex-London Health Unit, June 2003.
19 Mar 2008 14:36:03 -0500
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