Primer on

Violence
Definition of Violence
WHO definition
The intentional use of physical force or
power, threatened or actual, against oneself,
another person, or against another group or
community, that either results in or has a high
likelihood of resulting in injury, death,
psychological harm, maldevelopment or
deprivation.

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Definition of Violence
Intentionality
Associated with the committing of the act itself
irrespective of the outcome of violence
Power, use of physical force
Acts that result from a power relationship
Threats, intimidation
Neglect or acts of omission
All types of physical, sexual & psychological
abuse
World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002
Definition of Violence
Outcome of violence
Does not only include psychological harm,
deprivation & maldevelopment
Does not necessarily lead to injury, disability or
death
Poses a substantial burden on individuals, families,
communities and health care systems worldwide
Consequences can be immediate or latent or can
last for years after the initial abuse

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Typology of Violence

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

 UNCOVERING
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Ma. Naomi N. Poca, MD, DPC, FPPS, FPCC
Child Protection Specialist, Women & Childrens Protection
Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Regional Director (Visayas), Child Protection Network Foundation, Phil.
Violence against women
(UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, 1993)

any act of gender-based violence that results

in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or
mental harm to suffering women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary
deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in
public or private life.

Violence Against Women. Fact Sheet No 239 June 2000. inf@who.int

Lifetime of gender-based violence
R.A. No. 9262
Anti-Violence Against Women & Their
Children Act of 2004
Violence against women & their children -
refers to any act or a series of acts committed by any person
against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a
woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating
relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or
against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or
without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result
in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or
economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery,
assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty.
Domestic violence
One of the most common forms of violence
against women performed by a husband or an
intimate partner
Occurs in all countries, irrespective of social,
economic religious or cultural group
A major contributor to the ill-health of women
Emotional involvement & economic
dependence of women on their batterers
Considered when intervening
World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002
WHO Multi-country Study on Womens Health and
Domestic Violence Against Women. 2005
Domestic violence / IPV
Refers to any behavior within an intimate
relationship that causes physical, psychological or
sexual harm to those in the relationship.
Acts of physical aggression: slapping, hitting,
kicking, beating
Psychological abuse: intimidation, constant
belittling, humiliating
Forced intercourse, other forms of sexual coercion
Various controlling behaviors: isolating from
family/friends, monitoring movements, restricting
access to information, assistance, finances
World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002
Forms of domestic violence
Physical
Psychological
Emotional
Sexual
Economic/financial
(R.A. 9262)

http://www.domesticviolence.org
Domestic violence / IPV
Partners may be married or not married;
heterosexual, homosexual; living together,
separated or dating
Considered normal within many societies
Battering: when abuse occurs repeatedly in
the same relationship

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Myths about IPV
Batterers are mentally ill
Batterers tested normal under psychological
tests
Behavior of perpetrators of IPV did not
correspond to profiles of individuals who were
mentally ill
Batterers attack only their intimate partners
People with mental illnesses do not limit their violence
to their intimate partners
Myths about IPV
Batterers are violent when they lose control
Batterers violence is carefully targeted to specific
people at specific times and places
Batterers do not choose to hit their bosses or police
officers, regardless how angry or out of control they
are
Batterers may choose to abuse their partners only in
private, or take steps to ensure that they do not leave
visible evidence of their abuse
Research indicates that many batterers become more
controlled and calm as their aggressiveness increases
Myths about IPV
Women suffered from a learned helplessness as a
result of repeated battering that prevented them
from resisting the violence or leaving the relationship
Social, economic and cultural reasons a woman might
choose to stay in an abusive relationship
Women surviving abusive relationships attempt to
leave many times
Women routinely act in very conscious ways to try to
minimize the abuse directed at them and to protect
their children
Myths about IPV
Family conflict (both
partner contribute to the
violence)
Assumes that the victims
actions somehow justify
the abusive response by
the batterer
Women who use violence
in an intimate relationship
generally do so to defend
themselves
IPV is a learned behavior
Behavior is learned through exposure to social
values and beliefs regarding the appropriate
roles of men and women
IPV is a learned behavior
Behavior is learned through observation
IPV is a learned behavior
Violent behavior is reinforced when peers and
authorities fail to sanction batters for using
violence
IPV is a learned behavior
Batterer engages in this behavior to establish
and maintain power and control over their
partners actions,
thoughts, feelings
Ecological Model of Factors Associated with Partner Abuse
(Heise, 1998)

INDIVIDUAL
SOCIETY COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP PERPETRATOR

Norms granting
men control over Being male
Poverty, low socio- Marital conflict
female behavior Witnessing marital
economic status, Male dominance
Acceptance of violence as a child
unemployment Marital
violence as a way to Absent or rejecting
Associating with instability
resolve conflict father
delinquent peers Poor family
Notion of Being abused as a
Isolation of functioning
masculinity linked to child
women Economic stress
dominance, honor, Alcohol use
and family
aggression Low academic
Rigid gender roles achievement
Who Are The Abusers?
No typical abuser
Majority are males

Appear friendly & loving

to their partner & family

http://www.domesticviolence.org
Batterers Tend To
Be emotionally dependent, especially on their
victim
Have limited tolerance for frustration & stress
combined with an explosive temper
Possess insatiable ego needs
Continually make unsubstantiated accusations
& experience intense jealousy
Have no sense of violation of others personal
boundaries
www.ranchcreek.com
Batterers Tend To
Accept no blame or responsibility for his or
her actions
Have grown up in a violent home
Control their victim by threatening homicide
&/or suicide often when their partner
attempt to separate or leave
Move too fast, too soon in new relationship
Abuse drugs &/or alcohol
Abuse animals
www.ranchcreek.com
Batterers excuses

http://www.ranchcreek.com
Who Are The Victims?
ANYONE of any age, sex, race, culture,
religion, education, employment or marital
status

Most victims are women

Children

http://www.domesticviolence.org
Reports of domestic violence (PH)
Underreported
2010 Annual Human Rights Report
91% increase from 2009 to 2010
9,225 cases of domestic violence against women
and their children (Jan.-Nov. 2010, PNP)
abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 04/09/2011 1:57 PM

No reports of deaths from IPV

No autopsy of the victims
Reports of domestic violence (WCPC)
600
Number of new cases

500

400

300

200

100

0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
(1Q)
Year
Reports of domestic violence
20% of women reported they have been
assaulted by their partners (married adult
women, dating college women)
3 in 10 couples on the street : one violent episode
in their relationship
2/3 of couples seeking therapy did not report
domestic violence until asked
76% of violent first-year husbands were violent in
the next years of marriages; the longer the
marriage, the more severe the violence
Niolon, Domestic Violence-Types, Theories, and Assessment.2011.www.psychpage.com/family/dv.html
Researches tell us
Physical assault was not an isolated event but
part of a continuing pattern of abusive
behavior.
Physical violence is often accompanied by
psychological abuse and sexual abuse.
Women do get killed by their intimate
partners in the context of an ongoing abusive
relationship
Events that are said to trigger partner
violence
Not obeying the man
Arguing back
Not having food ready on time
Not caring adequately for the children or home
Questioning the man about money or girlfriends
Going somewhere without the mans permission
Refusing the man sex
The man suspecting the woman of infidelity

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Cycle of violence
Incident (trigger)
Tension building
angry spouse
tension
communication breakdown
Battering
Making-up
(honeymoon phase)
apology
blame victim
deny abuse
http://www.domesticviolence.org
Dynamics of Partner Violence
Patterns
1. Severe & escalating form of violence
Multiple forms of abuse, terrorization and threats
Increasingly possessive and controlling behavior on
the part of the abuser
2. Moderate form of relationship violence
Continuing frustration and anger occasionally erupt
into physical aggression

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Dynamics of IPV
Russian roulette (Motz A., 2014)
With violence (that escalates) there is the risk of
severe injury or death
Central in these violent relationships: jealousy
(morbid) & possessiveness
The controlled partner is viewed as an object
(rather than a subject)
Extreme coercion, control and abuse which
are manifested in sexual & physical violence

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Significance of physical force
Manifestation of actual power
Symbolically, through the marks left on the
victim, signifies ownership
Wish to use and abuse his partners body is
expressed
Show his power to deface or deform his partner &
attack her beauty
Branding his partners body as his

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Bruising in the victims body (branding)
Some violent partners
aim to disfigure
Some violent partners
only aim to inflict pain &
take control of their
partners bodies
injuries are incidental
thrill and excitement to
inflict pain and more pain

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Sexual violence
A defilement of the most
intimate and humiliating kind
Designed to rob victims of their subjectivity and self-
respect, asserting that they are quite literally the
total property of another, to be used for their own
gratification
Form of violence, as compared to all forms of
violence & force, battered women who had killed
their husbands were reluctant to disclose (Browne A,
2000)
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
Violence during pregnancy
Violence may begin when a woman becomes
pregnant
Or violence goes on despite pregnant state of
the woman
An indicator of serious risk in the future
Homicide is a leading cause of death in pregnancy
(Chang et al., 2005)

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Meaning of pregnancy for partners
Compete against their
unborn child for the
ownership of the
partners body
Envy of the womans
love for the baby
growing inside her, fear
of being displaced

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Meaning of pregnancy for partners
Fearful and insecure
attachment to his partner

Characteristic response to
the threat : anger,
aggression (Dutton et al, 1995)

Fear of loss rage

(Hudson-Allez , 2011)

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Meaning of pregnancy for partners
Jealousy and suspicion
of the unborn baby
To the point of
imagining the baby to
be the product of sex
with another man
Unborn baby is proof
of their partners
betrayal baby is a
source of shame &
humiliation
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
Meaning of pregnancy for partners
Pregnant woman uninterested or unavailable
for sex with their partners
Seen as a rejection, a justification for assault

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Consequences of IPV in pregnancy
Women are often hit at their abdomen and between
their legs
abortion
women blame themselves for the death or injury
to their unborn child as they chose to stay in the
abusive relationship

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Why dont battered women leave?
3 important reasons why women do not, or
cannot, leave their violent partners (Browne, A. )
1. Practical difficulties in effecting separation
2. Fear of retaliation
3. The effects of severe abuse on the victim

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

1. Practical difficulties in effecting separation

Cultural and religious beliefs

Prohibit women from leaving marriages
Sanction coercion and control within marriage
Threaten those who do leave with social and
familial isolation & exile, or with punishment of
death
Economic dependence on the abusive partner
Absence of family support
No alternative accommodation
Childcare commitments that prohibit employment
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
1. Practical difficulties in effecting separation

Many women value their partners

relationships with their children
Impact of exposure to abuse on the children is
denied or minimized making it difficult for parents
to consider that for some children separation from
the abusive parent is desirable

Honor killings

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

2. Consequences of emotional, sexual & physical
abuse: fear of leaving
Even with the availability of
temporary lodgings in
shelters or with friends
Fear of antagonizing the
violent partner
Fear of bringing shame on the
family
The childrens divided loyalties
Feel that the home belongs to
the family
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
2. Consequences of emotional, sexual & physical
abuse: fear of leaving
Repeated threats, May continue for years
harassment and stalking after the relationship
by the perpetrator to ends; protection of
terrorize his partner restraining and no-
contact orders
Designed to prevent ineffective
the victim from leaving
May intensify at times
of separation

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

2. Consequences of emotional, sexual & physical
abuse: fear of leaving

Long-term impact of domestic violence is to

destroy a sense of agency in its victim
Victim begins to take on the roles assigned to
them by the perpetrator as objects to be
controlled and maltreated

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

2. Consequences of emotional, sexual & physical
abuse: fear of leaving
Long-term impact of domestic violence is to destroy a sense
of agency in its victim
A kind of psychic murder/psychological
assault
Victim is left with a sense of helplessness, no
self-esteem, a sense of profound despair
Psychological extinction that accompanies
years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse
A justification for killing a violent partner /
psychological self-defense
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
3. Hopeful
Hope that their partners will change & that
this change will last forever preferred option
Need to stay with someone they love is deep
Need to maintain status quo is ingrained
Violent treatment/behaviors tend to be viewed as
isolated, unusual and encapsulated bits of
experience

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

3. Hopeful
Realization that aggression may be the norm
rather than the exception
Unwanted and painful events & experiences are
forgotten, minimized, normalized
Effort of changing the familiar albeit, brutalizing
environment, for the unknown is daunting

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

3. Hopeful

Wish to forgive and to transform is associated

with higher-level moral processing
An attitude valued by society
Particularly endorsed in women

Hope of change and feelings of forgiveness are

powerful forces
Make victims stay with their violent partners,
working frantically to make them safer or trying
not to provoke their rage
Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014
3. Hopeful

Awareness that there are fears and terrors

that can drive people to wish to control others
wholly
Victims understand that underneath the
aggression is often fear, isolation and emptiness
That violence is the way in which their partners
communicate this need without losing face
Victims tend to feel the need to transcend ones
own pain & humiliation, to forgive & understand
the violent partner : the best way to act

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

3. Hopeful

Self-sacrificing attitude
Socially sanctioned
Victim partner offers affection, attention, care
difficult or impossible for the victim to find a
different voice, to allow her own sense of outrage
to surface
Victim who was deprived of love and care
early in life
Even in an abusive relationship, she is desperate
for this affection, attention

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

3. Hopeful

Victim who was abused early in life & is still

ashamed of the abuse
Shame reactivated in her violent relationship
confirms her fear about herself: worthless,
deserving of pain
SHAME: powerful force in maintaining violent
relationships

Motz, A. Toxic Couples. 2014

Leaving an abusive relationship
It is a process, not a one-off event

Periods of denial, self-blame, suffering, before

recognition of the reality of the abuse, and
then, disengagement & recovery

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO, 2002

Psychological stages of
battered woman syndrome
1. Denial: The woman
refuses to admit - even to
herself - that she has been
beaten or that there is a
"problem" in her marriage.
She may call each incident
an "accident". She offers
excuses for her partner's
violence and each time
firmly believes it will never
happen again.
Psychological stages of
battered woman syndrome
2. Guilt: She now
acknowledges there is a
problem, but considers
herself responsible for
it. She "deserves" to be
beaten or treated badly,
she feels, because she
has defects in her
character and is not
living up to her partner's
expectations.
Psychological stages of
battered woman syndrome
3. Enlightenment: The woman no longer
assumes responsibility for her partner's
abusive treatment, recognizing that no one
"deserves" to be beaten. She is still
committed to her relationship, though, and
stays with her partner, hoping they can work
things out.
Psychological stages of
battered woman syndrome
4. Responsibility:
Accepting the fact that
her partner will not, or
cannot, stop their
violent behavior, the
battered woman
decides she will no
longer submit to it and
starts a new life.
Leaving an abusive relationship
Safety of the woman is not always a guarantee

World Report on Violence and Health, WHO Geneva, 2002

Battered woman syndrome

R.A. No. 9262

Refers to a scientifically defined pattern of
psychological and behavioral symptoms found in
women living in battering relationships as a result
of cumulative abuse
 Battered woman syndrome
the psychological, emotional and
behavioral reactions and deficits of
victims and their inability to
respond effectively to repeated
physical and psychological violence
(Walker, 1979)
Psychologic profile
reserved, withdrawn, depressed, and
anxious
low self-esteem, a poorly integrated
self-image
a general inability to cope with life's
demands www.forensiceducation.com
 Battered Woman Syndrome
Identified as a subcategory of posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD)
Evidences
Medical evidences
Interview
Physical examination
Laboratory examination
X-rays, CT scans, MRI
Psychological and/or psychiatric evaluation
Other evidences
Investigation: police, social worker
Accounts from witnesses
Impact of domestic violence