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OVERVIEW OF FAMILY VIOLENCE

CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. What Do We Mean By Family Violence?
3. How Common Is Violence In The Family?
4. Familial Homicide
5. Criminal Harassment (Stalking)
6. Effects Of Family Violence
7. Is All Family Violence Criminal Behavior?
8. Application Of Civil And Legal Remedies
9. What Services Are Available In BC?
10. References
11. Resources

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FAMILY VIOLENCE?

Gathering accurate information on the prevalence of family violence is challenging because available statistics underestimate reality. We know this by comparing police statistics - which track only reported incidents - with surveys, which include many unreported incidents. Surveys present another challenge, however, because researchers employ varying definitions of family violence. For example, one widely used questionnaire counts a push by one person against another as violence regardless of the context or force of the push. Surveys, it should be noted, frequently represent the reported experience of select groups from whom subjective, and often retrospective, information is provided to researchers at a given point in time. Each study suffers from methodological strengths and weaknesses, and no single study can be said to provide a complete picture of this complicated social problem. Rates and types of violence, as shall in part be demonstrated in this review, highly fluctuate with the population sampled, and patterns may change over time. For the sake of discussion, many experts agree with the following definition of family violence, developed by the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (1994). Broadly,

This definition is not limited to biological or intimate relationships, but includes other relationships where the dynamics are similar to those in a traditional family. For example, a person with a severe disability and an unrelated caregiver could be considered family if the caregiver is in a position of authority and control because of his or her care-giving role. Also, intimate relationships may be homosexual or heterosexual. Marital status and current living arrangements are irrelevant.

Family violence may take many forms:

Homicide: the murder of a family member.

Psychological abuse and neglect: evident in a number of types of behaviours, including degrading, terrorizing, isolating, corrupting, rejecting, and denying emotional responsiveness (Hart, et al, 1996). Such actions serve to undermine an individual's sense of self-worth, and may be evident in constant criticism, belittling, name-calling, silent treatment, making and breaking of promises, and so on. Instilling, or attempting to instill, fear by intimidation, threats of harm to the victim or others, threats of kidnapping, harassment, and destruction of pets and property are extreme examples of psychological maltreatment.

Financial abuse: making, or attempting to make, a person financially dependent by maintaining control over all household income, withholding money or access to it, keeping the person from outside activities (such as school), forbidding employment or harassing the individual at his or her workplace, requiring justification for all money spent, squandering or inappropriately using others' financial resources.

Physical abuse and neglect: inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury by grabbing, pinching, shoving, slapping, hitting, hair-pulling, biting, arm-twisting, kicking, punching, hitting with objects, stabbing or shooting. Physical abuse also includes withholding access to resources which maintain health (e.g., medications, medical care, wheelchair, food or fluids, sleep, hygienic assistance) and forced alcohol or drug use.

Sexual abuse: unwanted sexual contact (non-consensual, coerced or against a person deemed incapable of consent), including marital/date rape, beating sexual parts of the body, bestiality, forced prostitution, fondling, sodomy, sex with others, exhibitionism and the use of pornography. Also undermining a person's sexuality by derogatory treatment, criticism of desirability, and unfounded accusations of infidelity.

Next: How Common Is Violence In The Family?

This page last updated September 20, 2000.
Copyright (c) 1996 BC Institute Against Family Violence.