Myth: There is no help available for women in abusive relationships.
Fact: Help is available. There are organizations, such as Hiatus House, available to assist women and their children.

Myth: Woman abuse is not a problem in Canada.
Fact: Woman abuse is a problem. In Canada, one in four women are sexually or physically abused by an intimate partner (Stats Can, 1993).

Myth: Woman Abuse is a private family matter.
Fact: Physical violence is assault. Assault is a crime regardless of whether it occurs inside or outside the home.

Myth: Woman abuse happens to only certain types of women, such as those with low social-economic status.
Fact: Abuse is not specific to one race, age, religion, social or economic status....IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

Myth: The woman must have provoked the abuse.
Fact: No reason ever justifies hitting or humiliating a woman. The abuser often claims his partner provoked him in order to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. Abuse is the abuser's attempt to gain control and power over his partner and such an excuse is never acceptable.

Myth: The abuse can't be that bad, or she would leave.
Fact: A woman stays in an abusive relationship for various complex reasons: she loves him; she believes the abuse will stop; he threatens to kill her if she leaves; she does not want to break up the family; she lacks support and financial means, and/or has no place to go.

Myth: Abuse is caused by alcohol and drug use.
Fact: This is a dangerous myth. It allows the abuser to be excused from his actions due to being impaired. Abuse stems from an individual's desire to have power and control over others.

Myth: "Men are abused by their partners as often as women are" (Education Wife Assault).
Fact: Statistics reveal that woman abuse is more common. For example, according to a 2000 Statistics Canada survey, more than 27,000 cases of spousal violence were reported to police departments across the country. The majority of those victims (87%) were women. Women 25-34 reported the highest rate of abuse by a partner or spouse (Stats Can, 2003).

Myth: Pregnant women are not at risk of abuse.
Fact: Pregnant women are at great risk of abuse. A 1993 Canadian study revealed that 21% of women abused by their partners were assaulted during their pregnancy. Of these women, 40% reported the abuse began when they became pregnant.

Myth: Men who abuse their partners have a mental illness.
Fact: Many men who abuse their partners do not use nor inflict violence on anyone else. In fact, an abusive man is usually seen as the "good guy" in the community. Also, when he hits his partner, he usually aims for body parts that are not visible, such as the breast, lower back, thigh, etc. If an abusive man suffers from a mental illness, how could he have the ability to limit the violence this way?

Information adapted from Prince Edward Island, "Woman Abuse Protocols, Myths and Facts about Woman Abuse" http://www.isn.net/cliapei/womanabuse/myths.html

Education Wife Assault, "Woman Abuse: Dispelling the Myths",
http://www.womanabuseprevention.com/html/myths.html