Spousal Assault Essay, Research Paper

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.

Beaudry, 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