Types Of Abuses

How Are Women Abused?

There are many manifestations of the abuse of power and control in our society. The difficulty assessing abuse or potential abuse within relationships is due to the subtly of many abuses. The following list characterizes violence against women from very subtle forms to it most obvious.

Types Of Abuses

Psychological/Emotional

Verbal Abuse:
Name Calling.
Mocking.
Destructive Criticism.
Accusing.
Blaming.
Yelling.
Making humiliating remarks or gestures.

Pressure Tactics:
Rushing you to make decisions through guilt tripping and other forms of intimidation.
Sulking.
Threatening to withhold money.
Using the children to manipulate you.
Keeping you awake for hours to change your mind on something or to pressure you for sex.

Abusing Authority:
Always claiming to be right - Telling you what to do - Making big decisions unilaterally

Disrespect:
Interrupting - Changing Topics - Not listening or responding - Twists your words - Putting you down in front of other people - Belittling your friends and family.

Abusing Trust:
Lying - Withholding Information - Infidelity - Unreasonable Jealousy Emotional Withholding: Not Expressing Feelings - Not giving support, attention or compliments - Not respecting feelings, rights or opinions Minimizing, Denying & Blaming: Making light of abusive behavior - Denying that the abuse happened - Blaming you for abuse Isolation: Preventing or making it difficult for you to see friends or relatives - Monitoring phone calls - Telling you where you can and cannot go Harrassment: Making uninvited visits or calls - Following you - Checking up on you - Embarrassing you in public - Refusing to leave when asked. Economic Control Interfering with your work or not letting you work. - Withholding or taking money - Denying you access to the car and other services - Threatening to report you to Social Services or other agencies for no reason - Sabotaging your efforts to better yourself economically, e.g., going to school or a training program. Sexual Violence Degrading treatment based on your sex or sexual orientation - Using force, Threats or coercion to obtain sex or perform sexual acts - Unwanted sexual touching or fondling - Not respecting your personal privacy: Undressing, Going to the washroom, Personal hygiene. Physical Violence Intimidation: Making angry or threatening gestures - Use of physical size to intimidate - Standing in the doorway during arguments - Out shouting you - Driving recklessly. Destruction:

Destroying your possessions - Punching walls - Throwing and/or breaking things.

Threats:
Making and/or carrying out threats to hurt you or others

Assault:
Being violent to you, your children, household pets or others; slapping, Shaking (abuse is abuse, no matter how hard it is inflicted on another human being), Punching, Choking, Pushing, Biting, Burning.

Assault With A Weapon:
Use or threatened use of weapons - Keeping weapons around to frighten you - Constantly reminding you of the weapons - Stabbing - Shooting, etc.