"Abuse" will be used in this definition to indicate violence inflicted upon a woman by a man with whom she is married or cohabitating. Abuse can be found among married and unmarried heterosexuals, lesbians and gays. It cuts across geographic, religious, economic, and racial barriers. Abuse is a pattern of control that a man exercises that physically harms, induces fear, prevents a woman from doing what she wishes, or forces her to perform in ways she does not want to. Abuse includes physical, sexual or emotional attacks.
Physical abuse is: a) pushing, scratching, slapping, hitting, punching, choking, kicking, holding, biting, or throwing: b) locking you out of the house, driving recklessly when you are in the car, throwing objects at you, threatening to hurt you with a weapon, abandoning you in dangerous places, refusing to help when you are pregnant, injured, or sick.
Emotional abuse is: ignoring your feelings, ridiculing your beliefs, withholding approval, threatening to take your children, telling you about his affairs, manipulating you with lies, threatening to leave you, taking the car keys or money, keeping you from working or going to school, humiliating you in public or private, abusing your pets or children, calling you names, or driving your family or friends away.
Sexual abuse is: insisting that you dress in an uncomfortable sexual way, calling you sexual names like "whore", "bitch", forcing you to strip, forcing unwanted sexual acts, withholding sex, criticizing you sexually, insisting on unwanted touching, assuming you would have sex with any available man.
Get your own Free Home Page