Question n°02

What is woman abuse?

Woman abuse is any verbal threat or physical force used to create fear and control what a woman does.

With all abuse, the abuser has more power than the victim. The abuser is always the one responsible for his or her behaviour. Abusers often use alcohol as an excuse. But the real cause is their need to use violence to control another person.

What forms does woman abuse take?

A woman can be abused in different ways. Following are just some examples:

Physical abuse

• Slapping or biting the woman, or pulling her hair
• Destroying her property
• Abusing her loved ones
• "Caring" for her in an abusive way. This can include things like giving her too much medication or keeping her confined.
• Using a weapon or other objects to threaten, hurt or kill her.

Psychological or emotional abuse

• Threatening to take the children away from her
• Threatening to put her in an institution
• Threatening to tell friends, family and her employer that she is a lesbian
• Threatening to commit suicide
• Threatening to withdraw immigration sponsorship, or have her deported
• Stalking or harassing her.

• Controlling her time, what she does, how she dresses and wears her hair
• Putting limits on who she can visit or talk to on the phone
• Keeping her away from friends and relatives. This is also called "isolation."
• Not respecting her privacy
• Denying sex, affection or personal care.

• Putting her down and calling her names all the time
• Describing her as stupid, crazy or irrational
• Accusing her of cheating
• Attacking her self-esteem in other ways.

Sexual abuse

• Touching or acting sexual in any way that she doesn’t want
• Forcing or pressuring her into sexual acts
• Forcing her to be a prostitute
• Not letting her have information and education about sexuality
• Forcing her to get pregnant, have an abortion, or have an operation so she can’t have children.
• Infecting her with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Neglect and isolation

• Not letting a woman see a doctor or dentist
• Taking away TTY, hearing aids or a guide dog
• Locking a woman in the house without a phone
• Not allowing her to take courses in ESL (English as a Second Language).

Financial abuse or exploitation

• Controlling how she spends money, where she works and what property she buys
• Spending all family income including her money or savings
• Using credit cards without her permission; destroying her credit rating
• Forcing her to turn over her benefit payments to the abuser.

Spiritual abuse

• Putting down or attacking a woman’s spiritual beliefs
• Not allowing her to attend the church, synagogue or temple of her choice
• Forcing her to join or stay in a cult.

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This question was prepared for the Canadian Health Network by Education Wife Assault and the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.
Created: April 1999