Spousal assault is either the male or the female of the relationship who is
being beaten up very brutally by their partner, such as a marriage. In most
violent marriages the women in most cases are mostly subjected to spousal
assaults. Women who are subjected to such beatings by there spouses are
considered to Be known as "Battered wives. Wife assult is to be known as a
very serious crime when committed this type of action can happen to any person
at any age of there lives. Their husbands or even their boyfriends beat up over
one million Canadian women each year. There are five types of wife abuse that
are physical, psychological, emotional, sexual and also financial. Some men beat
their wives to a point until they receive power and control over there battered
wives spousal assault is a continuing process by which has many contributing
factors. A common myth about wife abuse is that it is direct result of the
perpetuators drinking problem and if it is treated, the addiction and abuse
would end. Alcohol and different types of drugs do not cause the spouse to beat
there wives senseless but although the alcohol may be contributing factor to the
abusement. Many of the men who are constantly abusing their wives do so with out
any substance abuse .The men who are beating their wives have one main reason
for doing so and that is to gain power, and to gain control over their wives. If
they realize that they have not received enough control and power over their
wives they would continue to do so till they do gain there advantage over there
wives. The man who constantly drinks and does drugs when they batter their wives
is used as an excuse for beating their wives up.Alcohol is a strong substance
that can cause the men to be highly encouragably that can cause the men to be
very violent. Many of the abusive men who have increasingly battered their wives
Page 2 to a pulp try to apologies to their wives and want them to forgive them
for there wrongful act and try to make up many excuses that she had done some
thing wrong such phrases as these: " If you had been a better wife ",
" Oh , it was your fault " , " Your not being a good mother to
the kids or to the family ." " then you would not have deserved to be
beaten up ". Beaten up their wives is all about control and power over
their wives. The man tries to control what she does, whom she is talking to all
the time and even keeps a track on her to see where she is going at any time of
the day. If the wife does not listen to the " King " they try to
intimidate their wives by putting fear in their wives by giving them fearful
looks, unusual actions , giving her threatening gestures , talking to her in a
loud despicable voice. Grabbing things of her property and smashing and throwing
them all over the house. The husband believes that he has absolute power and
ever-lasting control over his wife. Most of the men consider them selves as the
king of the castle in other word the home. He thinks that he is the one who
makes the " Big " decisions in the home. And also not letting the wife
make any rules of her own in the home, and she is also expected to listen the
man if not she knows what would happen if she doesn't listen to her husband. The
man takes it as an advantage to control the household so no one is able to over
control him. Making or carrying out threats to his wife or emotionally hurting
her is another way that the man wants power over his wife. Using the children to
make the wife feel guilty in a way the man will sometimes do to harass her, Many
of the men will ask their wives to do very sickening sexual things to him even
though she doesn't want to do such an act with him. Always physically attacking
her sexual parts on her body and treating her like a sex object that can be very
ridiculing for a woman, the man sexually abuses her. There are five forms of
wife abuse. Firstly, psychological abuse. Psychological abuse is when the women
live with the constant fear of threats of violence against herself, her children
and Page 3 her friends or relatives. Always being harassed at work with phone
calls or visits or being threatened by the abuser can put the women in great
fear. Secondly emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is being put down, criticized by
family , friends and her husband. Women who are emotionally abused find it hard
to find work, make new friends and even join social groups outside their homes.
Thirdly, physical abuse. Physical abuse is when any slapping, punching, kicking,
or choking occurs. Sometimes the women are slammed repeatedly Against walls and
are increasingly injured with many types of weapons or other such objects,
Brutal beatings can result in bruising, lacerations, broken bones, or even
sometimes it can be very fatal. Sixty percent of the victims of female homicide
died in the hands of their partner. Fourthly, sexual abuse or marital rape.
Women are forced against their own will to perform sexual acts or even having
pain and injury being inflicted during the intercourse. If the women do not
perform sexual behavior to their partner, Beating usually occurs. Finally,
financial abuse. Women who have no access to the family's money for any of there
personal use. When they are need of money their husbands start asking many
questions for what reason they are needing the money for though if he was doing
some type of murder investigation. In conclusion to this research, I have
thought much about this and think that this should be delt with much serious
consideration and should be stopped. Because no women at all should be treated
this way under any circumstances and the abuser should be delt with in a harsh
way. If any body who knows of any people who are being assaulted in any way even
if it is only verbally you need to help them in any way you can. While many
types of abuse are more dangerous than others, all abuse and assaults need to be
taken very seriously. The people looking onto an abusive relationship need to
abandon the thought that is none of their business. Violence against women is
defiantly not a private; it is a matter that should concern every body in the
world no matter who you are.BibliographyBeaudry, Micheline. Battered Women. Montreal : Black Rose Books, 1985 Denham,
Donna and Joan Gillespie. Wife Abuse: A Workplace Issue. Ottawa : National
Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1993 Martin, Del. Battered wives. New York:
Pocket Books, 1976