Without denying the fact that men can also be victims of domestic violence, in most cases, the victim is a woman and the abuser is her current or ex-partner. Victims and abusers have no particular characteristics. Some victims are young, some older; they are rich or not so rich; educated or not. Most men who abuse their partners do not exhibit violent behaviour outside their relationship. They are often good work colleagues and friendly neighbours.
Violence against women is most often associated with physical abuse. However, violence may take many forms including psychological abuse, verbal abuse and sexual abuse. Financial domination is another form of violence. For example, a man who controls the expenses and income of his partner without her consent is engaging in financial abuse.
Violence has serious human, social and economic consequences both for the women who endure it and for society as a whole. Violence is detrimental to women’s personal and financial independence and can do serious damage to their physical and mental well-being.
The women, men and children who are caught up in a cycle of violence need appropriate support and treatment to help them break free.
Domestic violence does not suddenly appear in a relationship. It begins progressively and sometimes very subtly. Domestic violence can be expressed in many ways. A violent man may use physical force (e.g., hitting his partner or throwing things), but he may also make off-colour jokes, resort to blackmail or make unsubstantiated accusations. Sometimes he humiliates, insults, threatens or shouts at his partner. He may control her activities, monitoring who she sees and who she speaks to. He may keep tabs on her expenses and on how much money she has at her disposal. He may also resort to violence during sexual relations.
A surprising number of teenage girls report incidents of violence in their relationships. For a teenager, having a boyfriend or girlfriend is a sign of prestige. Young girls may want to please their boyfriends to their own detriment. They often feel responsible for the happiness or unhappiness of their partner.
The desire for control is still very common among adolescent males: “If you think I’m going out with you dressed like that!”; ”If you really loved me, you’d do as I say.” Violence in teenage relationships very often resembles that found in adult couples.
Prevention among young people involves providing them with egalitarian models that will foster more harmonious relationships between young women and men.
Whatever form violence takes, talking about it is critical. Fear, shame or embarrassment can keep women and girls isolated in the grip of violence. It is therefore vital to break the wall of silence, talk about violence and seek help. This applies equally to victims, abusers and witnesses.
If someone talks to you about domestic violence in their relationship, it is important to listen without judgment and realize that considerable courage is required to talk about it, in the face of embarrassment, shame and fear. Regaining control over one’s life is not an easy thing to do. Each person proceeds at their own rate, and this should be respected.
Various resources are available to listen and provide support to people who want to talk about domestic violence: telephone hotlines, support groups for women and men, shelters for women and their children, health professionals, family members, friends, neighbours and work colleagues.
The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux has conducted public communication campaigns in support of its policies:
In 2004, the Government made public an action plan against domestic violence consisting of 72 commitments based on four key focuses of intervention: prevention, detection, adaptation to special realities and socio-judicial intervention. Eight government ministries including three secretariats and their respective assistance and protection networks are accountable for the commitments made in the Plan d'action gouvernemental 2004-2009 en matière de violence conjugale. The priority of this action plan is the safety and protection of victims and their families.
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