Violence Against Women
Before one can discuss violence against women, the cause and effects, the incidence and prevalence, and prevention, we must define our terms.
Wife assault involves the husband intimidating his wife either by threat or by actual use of physical violence. His violence may be directed at her person or her property. The purpose of the assault is to control her behavior. Sometimes the fear of violence may be enough to control her behavior. Underlying all the abuse is a power imbalance between the victim and the offender
(Frances Cearnes and the Edmonton Inter-Agency Committee on Wife Assault).
So, if we were to visualize this definition it would look like a wheel with power and control being at the center of that wheel. The varied methods of abuse used are generated from the central need for power and control.
What Is The Prevalence?
Nationally:
The Statistics Canada, Violence Against Women Survey, 1993 (the first of its kind in the world), reported that of the 12,300 women surveyed, 25% had been physically abused by an intimate partner since the age of 16 and 10% had been assaulted in the past year.
Provincially:
In 1994:
Alberta Shelters accommodated 5207 women and 6336 children. Note that these admissions do not necessarily represent unique
admissions - numbers may represent repeat admissions (Office for the Prevention of Family Violence, 1994)
3852 abused women were refused shelter provincially largely due to lack of space (Office for the Prevention of Family Violence, 1994).
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta responded to 1440 domestic assault calls. 1080 charges were laid as a result. 94% of the charges were laid against the male partner (numbers are based on heterosexual cohabiting couples).
Locally:
In 1994
The three Edmonton shelters for battered women and children accommodated 1321 women and 1861 children.
W.I.N. (Women In Need) House I and II accommodated 415 women and 811 children. The represents 1/3 of the women who requested shelter from W.I.N. House.
Edmonton Police Services responded to 1,728 domestic assault complaints - 95% of the assault victims were women (numbers are based on hetereosexual cohabiting couples).
I am not the author of this article, I did try to find the author's name and I could not find it. I was sent this article in an information package I received some years back from our local Battered Women's Shelter, W.I.N. House. If this is your article, please contact me and I will give credit to the proper author or have it removed if you so wish. Thank you.
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