Summary 90% of women had experienced emotional abuse: being humiliated in front of others was most commonly reported 90% had experienced physical abuse: being pushed or shoved and being slapped or hit were highlighted. 71% had experienced sexual abuse: attempts to kiss or touch followed by forced sexual intercourse occurred most often. 58% experienced economic abuse: money being taken without consent was most common. 42.5% of women had experienced all four forms of abuse. Many women experienced economic, emotional, physical and sexual abuse on an ongoing basis. Most abuse occurred in the confines of a home and was largely perpetrated by a lover, partner or spouse. At the time of the interview, more than a quarter of the women had never before spoken about the incident of abuse that they considered most serious. More sexual abuse survivors were abused in their youth (under 20 years of age) than survivors of other types of abuse.

How women defined abuse

a violation of the autonomy and rights of the individual;



being related to power differentials; for example, the survivor of abuse is described as powerless while the abuser is described as manipulating, objectifying or taking advantage of the victim; and



impacting on the well-being of the individual in terms of physical, emotional and economic health.

Economic abuse

The incident most likely to be described as the worst was having money taken or being controlled by others (42%). Twenty seven per cent indicated that the worst incident of economic abuse was being forced to be the main breadwinner or being deprived of financial support. Twelve per cent said the same of not being allowed to earn money. Only a few women (9%) said the misuse of their money or possessions by the abuser was most serious. An equally small number (8%) indicated that being denied access to or having knowledge of family income was the worst for them (despite the fact that this was the second most commonly experienced form of economic abuse).



The majority of women reporting economic abuse said the most serious incident happened when they were between the ages of 20 and 39 years (Table 4). During these years, the ages of 20-29 years are when abuse is most likely to occur. Thirteen per cent said they were under 20 years of age.



Of the women who had experienced economic abuse, most indicated that they had experienced the worst incident on countless occasions (Figure 1). Economic abuse was unlikely to be a one-off event: only 15% reported that it occurred once.



The vast majority of economic abuse took place at the woman’s home (Figure 2).



Most women did talk to someone about their experience of economic abuse (Figure 3). Just over a quarter had never spoken about the abuse before.

Emotional abuse

Threats of violence were most likely to be described as the worst incident of emotional abuse: 34% of women who experienced emotional abuse indicated this. More specifically, 17% said threats by the abuser to kill them, himself, or someone else was most serious, 9% said the same applied when the abuser threatened to hurt them, and 6% said that threats by the abuser to hurt children or family members or remove their children was the most serious. Over a quarter of women (27%) indicated that the most serious incident was being humiliated and being called names. Fifteen per cent said that being prevented from communicating with others and not being allowed to move freely outside the home were the worst incidents of emotional abuse they had experienced.



As in the case of economic abuse, most of the serious incidents of emotional abuse occurred when the women were between 20 and 40 years of age (Table 4). During this time, the 20-29 year period was when women were the most vulnerable. Sixteen per cent of participants said the worst incident of emotional abuse happened when they were less than 20 years old.



As in the case of economic abuse, most of the women who experienced emotional abuse indicated that the worst type of abuse had occurred on an ongoing basis (‘countless times’) (Figure 1).



Emotional abuse was the most likely to occur indoors, in public places, followed by the victim’s home and public places outdoors (Figure 2).



Most women did speak of their experiences of emotional abuse and victims were more likely to talk to others than were those who had been economically abused (Figure 3). Less than one quarter never told anyone about the incident.

Physical abuse

Of those who reported physical abuse, over a third indicated that being slapped, hit, punched or bitten were the worst incidents they had experienced. Being hurt with an object (11%) was identified as the most serious almost as often as being pushed or dragged (12%). Eight per cent said being threatened or hurt with a weapon was the worst kind of physical abuse that they had experienced.



Most of the worst incidents of physical abuse, like emotional and economic abuse, occurred when women were between 20 and 39 years old (Table 4). As in the case of the other forms of abuse, the 20-29 age bracket is when women are most at risk of physical abuse. This could reflect the study’s bias towards domestic abuse: since most domestic abuse occurs within intimate relationships, the vulnerability of this age group is to be expected.



Physical abuse is less likely to occur on an ongoing basis than are economic and emotional abuse: less than half the women who experienced physical abuse said the worst incident occurred countless times (Figure 1).



Most incidents of physical abuse occurred in the victim’s home (Figure 2). As in the case of other abuse types, the abuser’s home was also a common location.



Just over half of the victims of physical abuse told someone about the incident immediately after it occurred (Figure 3). Of the types of abuse covered in the study, physical violence is the only type that resulted in a majority of survivors notifying someone immediately after the event. Nearly a quarter never told anyone about the incident that they considered most serious

Sexual abuse

Of the women who had been sexually abused, a third (36%) said being forced to engage in anal sex or being sodomised was the worst incident they experienced. An equal number (36%) said being forced to enact sexual activity with the abuser (based on pornography, for example) was the most serious type of sexual abuse they had experienced. Thirteen per cent reported that rape was the worst incident and 6% said the same about attempted rape or attempted anal sex.



The majority said the most serious incident happened when they were between 20 and 39 years old (Table 4). However, this proportion is significantly lower than that for the other forms of abuse. Sexual abuse appears more likely to happen when women are less than 20 years old than the other forms of abuse. Of concern is the fact that 19.5% of women who were sexually abused, were abused as girls (under 16 years of age).



Of all the abuse types covered in the study, sexual abuse was the least likely to occur on an ongoing basis (Figure 1). Economic and emotional abuse are thus far more likely to recur than physical and sexual abuse. The latter two types of abuse are as likely to be ongoing as they are to be one-off experiences. Emotional and economic abuse should be considered as chronic or ongoing problems while physical and sexual can be both chronic or one-off in nature.



Half of all incidents of sexual abuse occurred in the victim’s home (Figure 2). The abuser’s home was named in 19.5% of cases, making this location more common in the case of sexual abuse than any other type of abuse. Outdoor public places, where women usually feel the most vulnerable, was the reported location in 15.5% of cases.



Women who were sexually abused, were less likely compared to victims of other types of abuse to tell someone about the incident (Figure 3). Only 29% told someone immediately after the event occurred. As many as 41% had never told anyone about the incident at the time of the interview — a significantly higher proportion than for victims of other forms of abuse. Given the social stigma surrounding sexual abuse, this is not surprising