Domestic Abuse: Causes, Types, and Warning Signs

Posted on Mar 14, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Reasons Why Crime Is Often Hidden from the Police

Contributes (C) or Inhibits (I)

The victim usually feels shame, which is difficult to overcome.
Both women and men can be abusers, but typically the violence that is reported has the man as the abuser and the woman as the victim.
Many people still consider it a private matter and don’t want legal solutions.
Some people still believe that the victim deserves it (because she did, said, or wore something that made her deserve it).
Some people still believe that the victim wants to be abused because she often stays and doesn’t leave. She continues to be abused.
Some people think using drugs/alcohol makes people abusive. In fact, substance use does not make people abusive, but it may cause them to lose control.

Emotional / Verbal abuse: Non-physical behaviors such as threats, insults, screaming, constant monitoring, or isolation.
Financial abuse: Exerting power and control over the partner through their finances, such as taking or withholding money from a partner, or prohibiting a partner from earning.
Stalking: Being repeatedly watched, followed, monitored, or harassed. Occurs online or in person, and can include giving unwanted gifts.
Physical abuse: Any intentional use of physical touch to cause fear, injury, or assert control, such as hitting, shoving, and strangling.
Sexual abuse: Any sexual activity that occurs without willing, active, unimpaired consent, such as unwanted sexual touch, sexual assault (rape), and tampering with contraceptives.
Digital abuse: Using technology to bully, stalk, threaten, or intimidate a partner using texting, social media, apps, tracking, etc.

Socioeconomic forces: Link between violence and lack of economic resources. Women’s increasing economic activity and independence is viewed as a threat, which leads to increased male violence, especially when the male partner is unemployed and feels his power undermined. And on the other hand, without economic independence, women have no power to escape from an abusive relationship.
Macro-economic policies: Structural adjustment programs, globalization, and the growing inequalities they have created, have been linked to increasing levels of violence in several regions.
Cultural ideologies: Notion of entitlement and ownership of women by men.
Learned behaviors as children: Experiences during childhood, such as witnessing domestic violence and experiencing physical and sexual abuse.
Excessive consumption of alcohol and other drugs.
The isolation of women in their families and communities.
Lack of legal protection.

She is afraid that he’ll kill her, the pets, her children, or her family. He often threatens to do this.
Her religious beliefs forbid her leaving (‘til death do us part).
She is influenced by the pro-family society (stay together at all costs).
She is economically dependent on the man. He often has forced her to quit school or her job, or never allowed her to work or know about their finances.
She has no resources (no place to go, no transportation, no money).
The children need a father.
She gets no support from her family.
She hopes he’ll change because she loves him when he’s not abusive.
She believes him when he says it is her fault he beats her.
She sees no other options.
She feels insecure and unable to take care of herself (psychological dependence).

Charm the victim
Isolate the victim
Psychological / physical threat. Introduce the threat of violence.
Kill
Why did she stay in the abusive relationship?: because she was afraid of being killed.