This document provides information about understanding and supporting women who experience violence. It aims to educate professionals who may encounter abused women through their work. The document defines different types of abuse women face, discusses why the focus is on violence against women, and explains that abuse is about maintaining power and control, not other factors like mental illness or anger issues. Abusers often believe in their own superiority over women and that they deserve to have their needs met. Societal attitudes can influence abusive behaviors as well. Multi-sector collaboration is important to ensure survivors can access comprehensive support services.

1. YOU CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE:
Understanding and
Supporting Women Who
Experience
Violence

2. Walking With Our Sisters:
A Project of the Vancouver Island North
Women’s Resource Society, Campbell River, BC

3. Project Funding Provided By
The Women’s Program

4. Learning Objectives of Module One:
To gain in-depth knowledge of
violence and abuse of women as a
prevalent gender based social problem

5. Who is this information for?
WHY is this information important?

6. This information is for YOU if you work
in any of the following workplaces:
Government Agencies
Healthcare or Medical Services
Front line Social Services
Charities & non-profits
Church-based Community Services
Concerned citizens & volunteers
ANY business or organization that provides
services to women

7. Why do I need to know this?
Aren’t there specialized antiviolence
services available?
YES
AND women who experience violence
or abuse also need to access a wide
variety of other services

8. As a healthcare, social service, or
community worker you will encounter
women who experience violence because
the facts tell us that woman abuse is still,
unfortunately, very prevalent
in our Canadian society
1 in 4

9. Recommendations from
the World Health Organization
As described by Heise and colleagues (2002),
women who experience intimate partner
violence have complex needs and may need
services from many different sectors, including
health care, social services, legal entities and
law enforcement, and therefore, multi-sectoral
collaboration is essential for ensuring survivors’
access to comprehensive services

10. It can
happen to
any
woman

11. Why Focus on the Abuse of Women?
Gender Based Violence against women is said to
be the most wide-spread and socially tolerated
of human rights violations worldwide
> 35%
More than 35 %
of women report
experiencing
physical or sexual
violence – as high
as 70 % in some
countries
www.unwomen.org Facts and Figures: Ending Violence Against Women

12. Why Focus on the Abuse of Women?
Overall, there is a female victim in 81% of
physical assaults committed by a male
spouse or intimate partner
• Statistics Canada: Gender Differences in Police-reported
Violent Crime in Canada, 2008

13. This is a complex and widespread
social problem
It has enduring implications on the
social, physical, and emotional
well being of the individual woman,
on families, on the community,
and on our society

14. What Can We Do?
How Can We Help?
Learn the facts!

15. “Intimate Partner Violence” [IPV]
includes all types of woman abuse
• Controlling
access to
money
• Rape
• Unwanted
sexual acts
• Psychological
• Jealousy
• Threats
• Bodily harm
• Destroying
belongings
Physical Emotional
Sexual Financial

16. MYTH
or
REALITY?
Men are just as likely as
women to be victims of
intimate partner violence

17. Women are still more frequent victims in all
forms of gender based intimate partner violence
Women
experience
87%
of reported
Sexual
assaults
67 % of Canadians
know a woman who
has been physically or
sexually abused
76 % of victims of forcible
confinement, kidnapping,
abduction, are women
Every 6
days in
Canada a
woman is
killed by an
intimate
partner

18. Don’t men get abused?
Abuse or violence of anyone is wrong
We acknowledge that men can also be victims
of IPV, but statistics overwhelmingly
continue to indicate
More than 80 % of
incidents of IPV are
perpetrated by
men to women

19. IPV against women results in significantly more
homicides, more use of severe forms of
violence, and more permanent disability
“Similarities across all female homicides:
Most homicides were committed by men and
most of the perpetrators knew their victim as
an acquaintance or a spouse”
RCMP MAY 2014

20. Some women who are already marginalized
experience even greater incidences of violence
Aboriginal women are over-represented
among Canada's
murdered and missing women
A 2014 RCMP review totalled 1,181 – 164 missing
and 1,017 homicide victims
RCMP MAY 2014

21. We Focus on Violence Against Women
Much of this information may also apply to
same sex relationships and the abuse of
men; however, as a social issue,
woman abuse remains unique as it is
gender based and maintained by cultural
and systemic patriarchy and hierarchy

22. DEFINING IPV & ABUSE
• Woman abuse in relationships involves a
persistent pattern of using power and control
• This can happen in any spousal relationship
such as marriage, common law, dating or
separation
• It may, or may not, include physical violence

23. A Pattern of Abuse Can Occur
Researchers have long observed that abuse
tends to occur in a cycle
This involves the build-up of tension, an
explosion or abusive incident, then a
period of remorse or lessoned abuse

24. Cycle of Abuse
Honeymoon
(or Manipulative Kindness) Explosion
Tension

25. CYCLE OF ABUSE
• Maintaining power and control is the
motivating force in all three phases of the
cycle of abuse
• Abuse can be: emotional, sexual, financial,
physical, cultural, verbal, and psychological
abuse

26. Defining Abuse: Physical
Physical abuse may include beating,
hitting, kicking, pushing, choking,
confinement, or use of a weapon.
It can result in serious injuries, chronic
health conditions, chronic pain, or
even death.

27. Defining Abuse: Sexual
Sexual abuse may include sexual assault
(rape), any unwanted touching,
harassment, suggestions, or forced
actions
• It includes any form of sexual
exploitation
• Controlling or limiting a woman’s
reproductive choices

28. Defining Abuse: Emotional
• Insults, threats, humiliation, criticism, yelling,
screaming, name calling
• Excessive jealousy or suspicion, threatening or
harassing a woman or her children
• Isolating a woman from neighbours, friends or
family
It is important to note that emotional
abuse can escalate to physical violence
*Some women in our focus group indicated that their experience of emotional abuse
had even more lasting negative impacts than physical abuse*

29. WHAT CAUSES ABUSERS TO ABUSE?
Is it because he has a mental illness?
An addiction?
He was abused as a child?
He’s suffered trauma?
He has an anger control issue?

30. THE ANSWER IS NO!
Living with a mental illness or addiction,
having a history of childhood abuse or
trauma may contribute towards abusive
behavior but these factors
DO NOT CAUSE ABUSE
WHY?

31. WHY? HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?
1. Not all individuals who live with
mental illness, addiction, historical
abuse or trauma ABUSE women!
2. If these issues were causing him to
abuse, he would also abuse other
people, not only his partner (ie: Does
he abuse his boss? His friends?)

32. WHY? HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?
Is it because he has an anger problem?
Again, NO! If he can control his anger with
other people and in other situations yet is
abusive with his partner,
then it is not an anger problem,
it is a power and control problem!

33. RESEARCH ON ABUSERS
Significant empirical research, meta-analyses
and longitudinal studies from the social
sciences, health, and law enforcement fields
correlate the evidence that abusers hold
cognitive beliefs that reinforce and may seem
to justify their actions
Note that anyone is capable of anger or even
violence but the presence of certain
attitudes, beliefs, and patterns strongly
indicate a person is an abuser

34. RESEARCH ON ABUSERS
Superior
Central
Deserving

35. Belief Systems of Abusers
Central
Everything revolves around him
Superior
He is better than her, smarter than her
Deserving
Of privileges, to get all of HIS needs met
(BC Women’s Hospital, WARP program, Making Connections Facilitators Guide 2012)

36. Example: Central
Everything revolves around him
He may believe that he has a right to behave
however he chooses in his home, but that
others do not have the same rights because
it’s all about him
He may seem to be allowing her to make
choices but only if they are in line
with his choices

37. Example: Superior
He’s right and she’s wrong
His opinions and needs matter and hers don’t
He may seem like the great family man but
when it comes down to it, he makes the
decisions and may become enraged if she
tries to do so
He blames her (or other people) when things
don’t turn out and really believes that he
knows best. He’s smart, she’s not.

38. Example: Deserving
He believes that he has a right to get all of his
needs met; that he deserves to have what he
wants because he is the head of the
household, the leader
He may believe that women must comply with
men because of ingrained attitudes of male
privilege; the woman is his possession, he
deserves to have sex, deserves things his way

39. It’s all about power and control
He has to believe that he has the
POWER and has the right to CONTROL
her to maintain the beliefs of being
CENTRAL, DESERVING, AND ENTITLED

40. Influence of Societal Attitudes
Societal influences that
promote male privilege
and patriarchy
Family or cultural beliefs
that reinforce patriarchy
Popular media that
idealizes violence
• He may think that a ‘real’
man should be tough,
powerful and the head of
the household. He may
believe that he should
make most of the
decisions, including how
money is spent, frequency
of sex, what she can do
and who she can be
friends with

41. Influence of Societal Attitudes
Societal influences that
promote male privilege
and patriarchy
Family or cultural beliefs
that reinforce patriarchy
Popular media that
idealizes violence
• ie: “Real Men” are tough
and the rulers of their
partners and their families
• As the main breadwinner
he deserves special
privileges
• Women are swept away
by tough, violent men

42. There is no, “Typical Perpetrator”
However, research has confirmed abusers
often use violence and emotional abuse for
power and control

43. Some telling behaviours of abusers
•Not taking responsibility for own
behaviour or blaming others for
provoking the behaviour
•Making excuses such as blaming
behaviour on alcohol or stress *
*substance use and stress can exacerbate abusive behavior
but the root cause is still power and controlling beliefs

44. Some telling behaviours of abusers
•Reports ‘losing control’ when angry around
his partner but he can control anger around
other people: is able to be in control around
friends, bosses, work colleagues or the police
•He tries to minimize, blame others, deny, or
justify violence

45. He confuses love and abuse
Myth or Reality?

46. Reality!
An abusive man often tries to convince his
partner that his mistreatment of her is
proof of how deeply he cares,
but the reality is that abuse is the
opposite of love
Control does not equal love

47. Is it love or control?
Early on in many relationships couples
want to spend most of their time
together, but excessively keeping tabs on
her every move may be a red flag
Some women believe that jealous
behaviour indicates love but evidence
shows that it indicates a need for control

48. When a woman leaves an abusive
relationship, her life will soon improve.
Myth or Reality?

49. This is a Myth
It can get worse before it ever gets better
Statistics from law enforcement and criminal
justice sources indicate the very most dangerous
time when a woman’s safety is most at risk is
during the process of leaving or in the period
shortly after a break up
More homicides happen during this time period

50. This is a Myth
It can get worse before it ever gets better
• A major barrier for women who wish to leave
is a lack of affordable safe housing.
• Many women lose their economic resources.
• Custody of children can be threatened or lost.
• Women may be judged and stigmatized by
some social institutions, family, and friends.

51. Gender Based Violence Against Women is
a Social Problem that Impacts Us All
Module Two will discuss impacts to
– The individual woman
– The family
– The community
– Our society
Module Three will focus on what YOU can do

53. Credits for This Project
Principle Author and Investigator:
Georgette Whitehead, MSW, RCC, RSW
Contributors & Reviewers:
Jodi Grundle, MSc, contributor, researcher
Eileen Stearns, BSW, RSW, Contributor, researcher
Marnie MacLachlan, reviewer
Graphic Facilitation Art by Jill Banting, MA
Informed by a focus group of experiential women
A full list of references is available on our website

54. END OF
MODULE
PLEASE RETURN
TO THE MAIN
COURSE PAGE