What is Abuse?

Woman abuse is the intentional and systematic use of tactics to establish and maintain power and control over the thoughts, beliefs, and conduct of a woman through the inducement of fear and/or dependency. The tactics include, but are not limited to, emotional, financial, physical and sexual abuse, as well as, intimidation,isolation, threats, using the children and using social status and privilege. Woman abuse includes the sum of all past acts of violence and the promise of future violence that achieves enhanced power and control for the perpetrator over the partner. Abusive behaviour does not result from individual, personal or moral deficits, diseases, diminished intellect, addiction, mental illness, poverty or the other person's behaviour or external events.

Source: The London Battered Womens Advocacy Centre

Some local statistics for the Kitchener -Waterloo Region:

•    Waterloo Regional Police Services respond every 1.4 hours to a report about a man assaulting his wife or girlfriend
•    In 2008, there were 6000 reported woman abuse cases in the K-W Region
•    Since 1995, 29 female victims have been killed by a male partner in the Kitchener Waterloo Region

Source: Waterloo Regional Police, 2008