Understanding Families

14-1

Abuse and Violence in Families

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Define family violence.
 Identify the kinds of violence and abuse that occur in
families and intimate relationships.
 Understand the issues related to child abuse and abuse
between partners
 Compare different strategies for preventing family
violence.

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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WHAT IS FAMILY VIOLENCE?

 Family violence
 A range of abusive behaviours that occur within relationships based
on kinship, intimacy, dependency or trust
 Until about the 1970s, violence committed against family
members was largely seen as a private matter and remained
hidden

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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FORMS OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Physical abuse
 The intentional use of physical force against a person resulting in
injury or causing bodily harm
 Sexual abuse
 Any kind of sexual contact with someone without her or his consent;
can include sexual touching or sexual activity without consent,
continued sexual contact when asked to stop, and forcing someone to
commit an unsafe or humiliating sexual act

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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FORMS OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Emotional abuse
 When a person uses words or actions to control, frighten, or isolate
someone, or to take away an individual’s self-respect
 Many forms of emotional abuse are not crimes but can be signs that
the abuse might get worse

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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FORMS OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Neglect
 Failure to give appropriate attention or care to a family member
 If a child is neglected, child protection authorities could intervene
and remove the child from his or her parents
 Financial abuse
 Happens when someone uses money or property to control or exploit
someone else

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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FORMS OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Children are seriously affected by violence directed at other
family members, both by what they see and by what they hear
 At risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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MEASURING FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Three main sources are used to measure the prevalence of family
violence in Canada
 Police-reported information from the Uniform Crime Reporting
Survey (UCR)
 Self-reported victimization data from the General Social Survey
(GSS) on Victimization
 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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MEASURING FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Collecting and interpreting data on family violence can be
challenging
 Many people are reluctant to talk about family violence
 Police and child welfare agencies only count incidents that are
reported
 There are different and changing definitions of family violence

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

14-10 THEORIES OF FAMILY VIOLENCE:

Social Learning
 Based on the concept of socialization
 Suggests that people who abuse family members have learned
this behaviour, most likely in their family of origin
 When abused children grow up
 Males may become batterers, living out roles they learned from their
fathers
 Females may become battered women, following their mothers’ roles

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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CHILD ABUSE:
History of Child Abuse
 For centuries, children were considered property of parents
 In Canada, attention first given to idea of child abuse through
formation of Children’s Aid Society in Toronto in 1891
 Following popularization of the term “battered child syndrome”
in early 1960s, mandatory reporting laws passed

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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CHILD ABUSE:
What Is Child Abuse?
 Child abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional abuse
 Also includes neglect and any violence children see or hear in
their families
 Abuse may occur in child’s home or in other people’s homes, at
schools or community centres
 A betrayal of trust and an abuse of power over the child
 In Canada, federal and provincial/territorial laws protect children
from abuse

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

14-13 PREVALENCE OF CHILD ABUSE
IN CANADA
 Reporting of all kinds of abuse has increased since 1970s
 Since children are most vulnerable members of society, they often
depend on others to report abuse for them
 Schools and police account for largest number
 Usually, only most extreme cases of abuse are reported to police
or child protection agencies

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

14-14 PREVALENCE OF CHILD ABUSE
IN CANADA
 Various explanations for low reporting rates
 Since child abuse is frowned upon, it may be
hidden
 Children may be too afraid or too young to
disclose
 Professionals who see abuse may not understand
their responsibility to report
 A parent/caregiver’s explanation for injuries may
seem plausible, so no one becomes suspicious
 People may feel it isn’t their business

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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EFFECTS OF ABUSE ON
CHILDREN
 All abuse is harmful to children
 Actual form of the effects may vary by type of abuse
 How the family reacts when the existence of child abuse is
disclosed plays an important part in the recovery of the victim
 Not all abused children suffer serious or long-term effects from
maltreatment

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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SOCIETAL RESPONSES TO
CHILD ABUSE
 Child protection laws are in place at both national and provincial
levels
 Problems arise because there is no standard definition of child
abuse
 If abuse is severe, abuser is prosecuted; if less severe, Children’s
Aid Society or a provincial child welfare department
 May remove child permanently or temporarily from home
 May provide counselling and treatment to various family members

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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ABUSE BETWEEN PARTNERS

 Intimate partner violence

 Violence committed by legally married, separated, divorced, or
common-law partners, current or previous dating partners, and other
intimate partners
 Often different kinds of abuse occur in combination:
 Physical assault, psychological abuse, restriction of movement,
economic deprivation, sexual abuse, and homicide

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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ABUSE BETWEEN PARTNERS

 Bilateral violence refers to a situation in which both partners are

violent toward each other
 Intimate terrorism is severe and ongoing physical and
psychological abuse
 Women are more likely to be a victim of violent crime committed
by a family member than by a stranger on the street; the reverse is
true for men

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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PREVALENCE OF SPOUSAL
VIOLENCE IN CANADA
 Spousal violence: physical or sexual violence between those who
are legally married or living in a common-law relationship
 In 2014, about 4 percent of Canadians with a current or former
spouse or common-law partner reported having been physically
and/or sexually abused by their partner

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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RISK FACTORS FOR SPOUSAL
ABUSE
 Indigenous people were more likely to be a victim of family violence
than non-Indigenous people
 People who have a physical disability, health problem, or mental
health issue are more likely to experience spousal violence or sexual
violence
 Those who live in rural or isolated areas may face particular risks and
challenges
 Individuals who self-identified as members of a visible minority were
less likely to report having suffered spousal violence

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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WHY DO PARTNERS STAY?

 Leaving an abusive relationship occurs in stages

 First, victims recognize abuse as a problem and weigh pros and cons
of leaving
 Second, develop a plan and actively make changes to stop the abuse
(e.g., counselling or shelter)
 Finally, take steps to leave

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.

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PREVENTING FAMILY
VIOLENCE
 Three basic approaches:
 Primary prevention aims to keep abuse from occurring at all,
primarily through education
 Secondary prevention programs involve working with groups
considered to be at risk for abuse
 Tertiary prevention is treatment or some other intervention to keep
abuse from recurring and to minimize its effects
 Most common approach

Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd.