What is abuse?
When we see the terms “family violence”, “domestic violence”, “intimate partner violence”, or “violence against women”, we often think only of physical violence or injury. But abuse is not just physical. It can also be emotional, sexual, psychological, or financial. Abuse can include assault and other types of mistreatment and cruelty, such as threatening or stalking a person. All types of abuse have one thing in common: they create fear.
Here are some examples of non-physical abusive behaviour.
Financial abuse happens when your partner, for example:
- controls the family finances and refuses to give you money
- does not allow you to work or go to school
- threatens to call Ontario Works and tell them you are getting income assistance illegally
Sexual abuse happens when your partner, for example:
- forces you to do things you do not want to do sexually
- involves other people in sexual acts without your consent
Emotional or psychological abuse happens when your partner, for example:
- cuts off your contact with friends or family, and stops you from making new friends
- threatens to hurt you or your children
- threatens to hurt or damage something that is special to you, like a pet or something you treasure
- threatens to have you deported from Canada
- takes away your identification or other important documents
- threatens to take your children away from you
- threatens to hurt themself if you do not do what they want
- threatens to call the Children’s Aid Society and report you as a child abuser
If your partner does any of these of things, you could be a victim of abuse.
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