Publication of the Office for the Prevention of Family Violence - 1996

Wife Abuse

----------------------------

Definition

Wife abuse refers to physical, psychological or sexual abuse by a male against his female partner such that the survival and security of the abused is endangered.

Prevalence

A report: Battered But Not Beaten: Preventing Wife Abuse in Canada, published in 1987, estimates that one in eight Canadian women living with a male partner experiences some kind of abuse from their partners. Studies conducted by the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary report similar estimates for Alberta.

Over 5,437 women and over 6,426 children took refuge in Alberta's women's emergency shelters and satellite shelters in 1995. These numbers do not include families taking refuge in hotels, motels and other types of accomodation.

An average of 100 women a year are murdered by their male partners according to Statistics Canada. Donald Dutton, Canadian author and researcher, estimates that repeated, severe violence occurs in one in 14 marriages.

For the 1995 calendar year the following statistics were reported:

For the 1995 calendar year, police responded to 4,110 incidents of spousal abuse. Of these, 2,447 saw charges laid (60% charging rate). In 93% of cases, males were charged; in 5% females were charged and in 2% of cases both parties, the male and female, were charged (Alberta Justice, 1996).

Important Facts

About the abusers

A clear understanding of why men abuse their partners has not yet been developed.

Several theories are being examined by practitioners and researchers. The three most prominent theories at this time are:

  1. The social learning theory, which suggests that abusive men learn to express their anger in violent ways from experience in their families of origin and are supported in doing so by societal attitudes. Research indicates that a high number of men who abuse their partners witnessed their fathers abuse their mothers or were victims themselves.

  2. The feminist theory, based on the belief that male oppression of women is fundamental in society, which suggests that men abuse women to maintain control and power in the family. Practitioners working in treatment programs with abusive men report that a high number of their clients believe they have the right and responsibility to control their female partners and use violence and threats of violence to do so.

  3. The psychological theory, which suggests that abusive men have character and personality factors which account for their abusive behaviour. Practitioners and researchers report that most men who abuse their partners have common characteristics.

    For example:

    • low self-esteem
    • poor communication skills
    • poor impulse control
    • a strong need to control
    • a tendency to blame the victim or other factors (stress, alcohol, drugs) for their violence.

Their relationship between alcohol, drug abuse, and abuse of women is unclear. Being intoxicated is frequently used as an excuse for being violent and in many cases men seem more violent while in that state. However, no cause/effect relationship has been established. Instead, it has been proposed that the same factors contribute to both substance abuse and wife abuse.

Most men who abuse their wives do not abuse strangers. Some abuse their children.

Their is general agreement that abusive men do not change their behaviour without help. They rarely seek help voluntarily, often requiring coercion based on fear of losing their partners or by the force of the law.

Most treatment programs for abusive men use a group format which focuses primarily on anger control. Some programs also attempt to change attitudes, encourage self-reflection and improve communication skills. Little evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs has as yet been done.

About the abused

There seems to be no consistent evidence of violence in the abused women's family of origin, nor any common personality traits prior to the onset of the abuse.

Abuse frequently beings during a woman's pregnancy.

Once the first incident of violence is tolerated and the fear has been instilled in the woman, the stage is set for a pattern of violence to become established. In most cases the pattern becomes a cycle of: tension build up/violence/remorse/tension build up again.. As time goes on, the violence commonly becomes more severe and more frequent.

A complex combination of factors trap many women in abusive relationships. Some of these factors include personal and societal attitudes about families and women's responsibilites, a perceived lack of ability and/or resources to cope independently, and a demonstrated lack of support by some persons and institutions outside the family.

About the children

Children living in homes where men abuse their partners are at risk of abuse themselves and are detrimentally affected by witnessing their mother's abuse.

A study conducted at an Edmonton women's emergency shelter in 1985 revealed that:

Additional research is providing evidence that children suffer psychological trauma as a result of living in violent homes. As well, they learn distorted concepts about family life and the use of violence in intimate relationships. Approximately 75% of abusers observed violence between their parents when they were children.

Wife Abuse Can Be Prevented

As an individual you can:

Help young people build their self-esteem by:

Help young people to be self-reliant by allowing and encouraging them to do things for themselves.

Encourage them to talk about things that are bothering them. They can learn to resolve conflicts without violence by talking with and listening respectfully to the person with whom there is a disagreement.

Teach them that force and insults should not be allowed in caring relationships.

Teach them that no person has the right to possess and control another person and that excessive jealousy is not a sign of love. It is a sign of insecurity and a need to control.

Teach them that forcing intimacy is not a sign of caring. It is the opposite. It shows disregard for the feelings of the person being forced.

As a community member you can:

Alberta Initiatives

There are many women's emergency shelters in Alberta offering safe accommodation and support for abused women and their children for periods up to three weeks. A few other communities have short-term emergency accommodation for one or two families. This kind of accommodation is known as a satellite shelter. A Native women's shelter recently opened its doors in Calgary. A number of other shelters for Native women are also operating on reserves in Alberta.

There are two second stage housing complexes for women with children, who have left their abusive partners and can no longer reside in an emergency shelter. They provide longer term accommodation in a safe, supportive environment.

There are several women's resource centres offering information and support to women. Some of them provide overnight accommodation in emergency situations.

Many local Family and Community Support services are involved in coordinating and supporting community initiatives.

Several community agencies across the province facilitate support groups for abused women.

A number of communities have established interagency groups to study and respond to the issue of wife abuse and violence in the family.

Some hospitals have established protocols to help their staff respond appropriately to suspected cases of wife abuse. Several other hospitals are exploring this initiative.

Treatment programs for abusive men are being offered by various agencies in cities around the province.

Police officers in the province have been directed by the Department of Justice to lay charges whenever there is evidence of assault. The Department has also undertaken initiatives which will more effectively address wife abuse and other forms of family violence.

The Alberta government established the Office for the Prevention of Family Violence to provide information and education about this problem and other types of abuse in families.

An Interdepartmental Committee on Family Violence meets regularly to address a variety of issues related to wife abuse and other forms of family violence. This committee developed a government wide action plan which was introduced in 1992 to address family violence through to the year 1996. A grant has been received from the federal family violence initiative to develop a multi-disciplinary training program for government staff which will include components on wife abuse.

Recommended Reading

Breaking the Pattern:
Understanding Wife Abuse
How Alberta Communities Can Help
Available free of charge from the Office for the Prevention of Family Violence


Leaving Abusive Partners: From the Scars of Survival to the Wisdom for Change
Kirkwood, Cathy; Sage Publications, 1993

Domestic Partner Abuse
Hamberger, Kevin; Renzetti, Claire; (editors), Springer Publishing Company Inc. 1996.

Children in the Crossfire
Roy, Marie; Health Communications Inc, 1988.

Violence Between Intimate Partners: Patterns, Causes, and Effects
Cardarelli, Albert, P.; Prentice Hall, 1996.

Breaking Free from Partner Abuse: Voices of Battered Women Caught in the Cycle of Domestic Violence
Marecek, Mary; Morning Glory Press Inc., 1993.

Violence and Abuse in the Lives of People with Disabilities
Sobsey, Dick; Paulh Brookes Publishing Co., 1994.

Handbook of Family Violence
Van Hasselt, Vincent; Morrision, Randall; Bellack, Alan; Hersen, Michel; (editors), Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1988.

A Handbook for the Prevention of Family Violence
The Family Violence Prevention Project, Seldon Printing Ltd., 1980.

From Dark to Light
The Status of Women Council of NWT, Yellowknife

Link - Violence Against Women and Children in Relationships and the Use of Alcohol and Drugs
Addiction Research Foundation, Health Canada, 1995.

For more information contact:

Office for the Prevention of Family Violence
11th Floor, Seventh Street Plaza, 10030 - 107 Street
Edmonton AB T5J 3E4

Phone: (403) 422-5916
Fax: (403) 427-2039

-----------------------