Family violence is often understood as the act of physical violence of one family member toward another. In reality, many survivors reveal that they suffer as much from verbal and emotional abuse as from the actual physical abuse. Therefore, family violence includes all language and actions which inflict suffering on the victim. Family violence also includes behaviors which force someone to do things they do not want to, or prevent them from doing activities that they do want to do.
Source: http://www.emergedv.com/whatis.html
Family Violence can take many forms: physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, economic abuse or social abuse.
Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating.
Source: Domestic Violence Handbook, Oakland County Coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence http://www.domesticviolence.org/define.html
Physical abuse takes many forms including hitting, punching, pulling hair, slapping, grabbing, biting, kicking,
breaking bones, bruising, burning, twisting arms, throwing victims against walls and furniture, throwing objects and using weapons.
It
also includes damaging household goods and furniture, killing pets and denial of basic human needs, like sleep
and/or nutrition.
Assault can be of a life-threatening nature resulting in broken bones, miscarriages and other serious injuries. A substantial proportion of victims are threatened or assaulted with weapons such as knives, firearms and axes. Physical violence can result in murder and often leads to serious physical injury. The injuries are not always obvious as abusers often make sure the signs of their attacks are hidden under clothing. For many women there is a real and constant threat of death because of the seriousness of the abuse.
`Most attacks took place at night. While my three small children slept I would sit waiting for him to come home. It was like living with a time bomb. The waiting, the wondering, when would he be home, what sort of mood would he be in, would he eat his dinner or throw it at the wall or me, would the children wake scared and frightened, would he break up the furniture again.'
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, http://www.infoxchange.net.au
Sexual violence in the home is family violence. Sexual intercourse without consent is sexual assault. Sexual assault may or may not involve physical force. Sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual contact.
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, www.infoxchange.net.au
Verbal Abuse consists of derogatory comments, insults and constant put-downs. Lack of physical attractiveness, inferiority, incompetence, inability to cope and/or succeed on her own and being told that she is not a good mother / wife / housekeeper. Over time, this constant humiliation will destroy a woman's belief in her self and severely affect her self-esteem. She begins to take on the abusive descriptions as if they are real and therefore may start to believe that she's worthless, that the violence is her fault. It must be kept in mind that responsibility for the violence lies solely with the perpetrator, not the victim.
After continual harassment one reached the point of complete lack of self-confidence. There must be something wrong with me or else I would not be treated in this way... I was reduced from an intelligent, professional woman to a confused drained wreck in a very short time.'
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, www.infoxchange.net.au
Psychological/ Emotional Abuse
Closely linked to verbal Abuse, these behaviors are also aimed at terrorizing the victim and stripping her of her self-confidence. Behaviors include destroying household/personal property, deliberately hurting/injuring/killing domestic pets, deprivation of essential personal needs such as food, sleep, sanitary items etc. "This form of abuse occurs when one partner deliberately misuses the psychological or emotional factors in a relationship, and the power which they give, in order to manipulate and intimidate the other partner. A range of behavior is involved, including verbal abuse intended to destroy the other person's self-esteem. For example, a perpetrator's behavior may lead his partner to believe she is insane, stupid or useless. The effect is often cumulative, occurring over a long period with damaging consequences for the abused person's sense of self. This form of abuse is often a central factor in spouse abuse."
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, www.infoxchange.net.au/
This occurs where the man has total control over all financial resources. For example, he may forbid the woman to work, or, if she does, he may insist that she hand over her pay packet to him unopened. She may have to beg for money to buy necessities and when it is given, it may often be insufficient. She is then criticized for being stupid and incompetent in failing to provide adequately with this sum.
`I was reliant on my husband financially... during a `good week' I received a grand total of $30 which had to stretch to cover every household need for four people... We lived in secondhand clothes, and had no hot water... My allowance would be cut accordingly if I ever stepped out of line, or was out of favor with my husband.'
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, www.infoxchange.net.au
This includes: delivering verbal abuse in front of other people, such as put-downs, jokes, criticisms about the woman's weight, appearance, sexuality, intelligence etc. controlling behaviors such as following her to work, controlling access to friends, constant phone calls at work or accusations of imagined `affairs' etc. isolating a woman by denigrating her friends and family, thus leading her to cut herself off because she fears enraging her husband; locking the woman in or out of the house, cutting off the telephone, never letting her use the car etc.
"Social abuse is the constant monitoring and control of a women's activities, outings and friendships. She may be forced to account for her every movement, and may be denied the right to leave the home and / or see her friends. Some men will go to great lengths to control their partners' behavior, including locking them in the house, throwing away car keys, controlling the visitors to the house and the phone calls their partners can receive. The man who socially abuses his partner controls the flow of information into and out of the house and his partners' ability to leave. The result for the abused woman can be public humiliation and isolation from friends and other members of her family."
Source: Family Violence Information Manual, www.infoxchange.net.au
Child Abuse and Neglect
Most States recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they often occur in combination.
The examples provided below are for general informational purposes only. Not all States' definitions will include all of the examples listed below, and individual States' definitions may cover additional situations not mentioned here.
Neglect is failure to provide for a child's basic needs. Neglect may be:
These situations do not always mean a child is neglected. Sometimes cultural values, the standards of care in the community, and poverty may be contributing factors, indicating the family is in need of information or assistance. When a family fails to use information and resources, and the child's health or safety is at risk, then child welfare intervention may be required.
Source: National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: (800) 394-3366 or (703) 385-7565
http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/factsheets/whatiscan.cfm
Resources
Domestic elder abuse generally refers to any of several forms of maltreatment of an older person by someone who has a special relationship with the elder (a spouse, a sibling, a child, a friend, or a caregiver), that occur in the elder's home, or in the home of a caregiver.
Institutional abuse, on the other hand, generally refers to any of the above-mentioned forms of abuse that occur in residential facilities for older persons (e.g., nursing homes, foster homes, group homes, board and care facilities). Perpetrators of institutional abuse usually are persons who have a legal or contractual obligation to provide elder victims with care and protection (e.g., paid caregivers, staff, and professionals).
Source: National Center on Elder Abuse www.elderabusecenter.org
Sibling abuse, as all forms of human abuse, may be physical, emotional or sexual. Emotional abuse is present in all forms of sibling abuse. It may include teasing, name calling, belittling, ridiculing, intimidating, annoying, and provoking. Physical abuse ranges from hitting, biting, and slapping to more life-threatening acts such as choking or shooting with a BB gun. Sexual abuse includes unwanted touching, indecent exposure, intercourse, rape or sodomy between siblings.
Children often abuse a brother or sister, usually younger than themselves, to gain power and control. One explanation for this is that the abusive child feels powerless, neglected and insecure. He or she may feel strong only in relation to a sibling being powerless. The feeling of power children experience when they mistreat a brother or sister often reinforces their decision to repeat the abuse.
Source: Sibling Abuse Survivors' Information and Advocacy Network, <- Previous Section | Next Section ->
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