There are many kinds of abase, this section provides information on child abuse, elder abuse and spousal abuse. To view the information on abuse please click on the links below.

Spousal Abuse

What is spousal abuse?
Spousal abuse is the deliberate attempt by a partner in an intimate relationship to control or intimidate the other partner. The couple may be married, unmarried or the same sex.

What forms can spousal abuse take?
Abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual or financial. A person may experience more than one kind of abuse. Some forms of abuse are also crimes in Canada.

What would be included as physical abuse?
Physical abuse can include hitting, punching, slapping, pushing, pinching, kicking, burning, shooting, stabbing or cutting. Physical abuse is legally known as assault. A person commits assault when they intentionally use force or try to use force against a person without consent.

What would be included as psychological or emotional abuse?
Psychological abuse can include threats, constant criticism and put downs, control of activities, humiliation, name calling, screaming at a person, ignoring a person, control of money, stalking, damaging property, threatening to have someone deported, and reading another person's mail. Some aspects of psychological abuse are also crimes in Canada such as stalking, damaging property and making threats.

What kind of behaviour is sexual abuse?
Sexual abuse is sexual activity or sexual touching to which you do not consent. This kind of behaviour is a crime in Canada.

What kind of behaviour is financial abuse?
Financial abuse can include taking your pay cheque, or withholding money from you so that you have no food or cannot get necessary medical treatment. These are crimes in Canada. Other forms of financial abuse may not be crimes but may contribute to emotional abuse, such as controlling money very tightly.

How common is husband abuse? Revised April 2000
There is a continuing debate over the prevalence and seriousness of husband abuse. There does not seem to be any question that the problem exists, but there is a general difference of opinion as to how serious a problem it is compared to wife abuse.

Does wife abuse happen to one particular kind of person more than another?
No. Potentially wife abuse can occur in any neighbourhood and at any level of society. Facts which are known about wife abuse are as follows:

• wife abuse is as common in rural areas as well as cities
• wife abuse is common in high income families as well as low income families
• wife abuse spans all ages, races and nationalities
• disabled women may also suffer wife abuse
• wife abuse rarely happens as a one time occurrence
• beatings are often severe so as to require medical treatment
• wife abuse frequently occurs after hours between 5.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. and on weekends
• wife abuse always happens in private places
• wife abuse often occurs during pregnancy and often starts during a first pregnancy.

Is there a particular kind of person who is an abuser?
Abusers do come from every part of society. Certain characteristics of abusers have been identified as being common, 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 ( e.g. stress, alcohol, drugs) for their violence.

How might someone tell if abuse is going on in a family?
Abuse almost always occurs in private so that it is hard to detect. There are some signs that might indicate abuse is going on such as:

• a track record of violence in the past
• a history of family abuse from when spouses were children
• impulsiveness demonstrated by temper tantrums, possessiveness, excessive
• dependence on spouse, emotional immaturity
• rigid views of men and women and their roles in society
• problems with children such as aggressive behaviour, school problems, night time
• problems, physical complaints, crying hopelessly or very little.
• history of suicidal thoughts or attempts
• substance abuse

Who can I talk to about the abuse I suffer at home?
Talking about your problem is very important. Tell a friend, family member or someone in your community. Community members who will have seen people in similar situations include doctors, public health nurses, emergency room nurses, social workers, private therapists and women's shelter staff.

There may also be a distress line in your community or a shelter which operates a 24 hour help line.

For some excellent information see: http://www.law-faqs.org/nat/v-spo-en.htm