Types of Abuse

What is violence against women?*

• The United Nations defines violence against women as:
  • “Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."
• This violence can include:
  • Physical abuse: Slapping, choking, or punching her. Using hands or objects as weapons. Threatening her with a knife or gun. Committing murder.
  • Sexual abuse: Using threats, intimidation, or physical force to force her into unwanted sexual acts.
  • Emotional or verbal abuse: Making degrading comments about her body or behaviour. Forcing her to commit degrading acts. Confining her to the house. Destroying her possessions. Threatening to kill her or the children. Threatening to commit suicide.
  • Financial abuse: Stealing or controlling her money or valuables (of particular concern to older women). Forcing her to work. Denying her the right to work.
  • Spiritual abuse: Using her religious or spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate, and control her.
  • Criminal harassment/stalking: Following her or watching her in a persistent, malicious, and unwanted manner. Invading her privacy in a way that threatens her personal safety.

*Canadian Women's Foundation - The Facts about Violence Against Women