Common Types of Abuse towards Women


women abuseThe commonly used and accepted definition of abuse is a pattern of behavior used by one person to gain or maintain power over another. The most important thing to note is that we are talking about a pattern of behavior and not just a onetime incidence.

Abuse against women takes different forms. Regardless of if it’s emotional, physical or whether it takes other forms, abuse always takes and follows an escalating pattern with the controlling behaviors worsening over time. The abusive partner may use oppressive means and systems to assert his or her authority over the other partner.

Let us look closer to these types of abuses.



Physical abuse is the most common type of abuse people think about when they hear the word ‘abuse.’ Physical abuse may include patterns such as hitting, slapping, burning, kicking, punching, strangulation, damaging personal property, refusing the other partner medical care or controlling medication, using weapons or coercing a partner into substance abuse.


Sexual Abuse

Sometimes, sexual abuse can take the form of physical violence. However, it gets its category as sexual abuse. This form of abuse can include a rape act or other forced sexual acts. It can also be withholding or using sex as a weapon of influence over your partner. An abusive partner may use sex as a means of judging their partner or assigning them a value to undermine them, hence make them suffer emotional torture. When it comes to criticism about sex, one partner may brand the other not good enough on matters sex. Since sex is loaded with psychological and cultural implications, its abuse can have a damaging effect.

Mental and Psychological Torture

mental abusePsychiatric and psychological torture happens when one person uses words that are meant to wear down the emotional well-being and health of the other partner. It always involves making your target doubt their sanity. With this form of abuse, the abuser tends to use their influence on words to make their victims have a lack of trust in their judgement and trust the judgment of the abuser.


Verbal and Emotional Abuse

Verbal abuse involves abuse that is caused by the use of harsh and damaging words on your partner. On the same note, emotional abuse may include the use of words that are cunningly crafted to create the desired influence over a situation. It may involve the use of lies that makes the other partner imagine things that otherwise would not be realistic. The effects and signs of emotional abuse may be harder to spot, by people outside your family. Worst about it is that emotional scars take such a long time to heal.

Financial and Economic Abuse

Abuse is all about power and control, and abusers use all means possible to control their victims. One of the most common ways involves using economic and financial position to abuse the other person. It may include managing all the budgeting and denying the victim access to their bank accounts, money, and financial statements. This type of abuse is among the reasons why some people are not able to walk away from their abusive relationships.




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