56 35TH ANNUAL CRIME PREVENTION GUIDE It is common for people to ask why women often stay in abusive relationships. Women stay for many reasons and often face many barriers to leaving safely. Fear • Fear of losing her belongings, her home, her social status, or her children. • Fear her children may be ordered to spend time with her partner unsupervised if she leaves. • Fear of more severe abuse by her partner if she reports his behaviour. • Fear that her partner will be arrested, imprisoned, unable to work, deported, etc. Fear of being alone. • Fear of the unknown. What will happen to her and/or her children if she leaves? Threats It is very common for an abusive partner to threaten to hurt themselves (e.g., suicide) or others (e.g., children, family members, or pets) in an attempt to make a woman stay. Often, men may also threaten to take children away, to “out” their partner and the abuse to family, friends, or coworkers, or threaten to contact authorities regarding their partner’s immigration status. Financial Needs One of the most common reasons women feel trapped in an abusive relationship is because they are financially dependent on their partners. Separation from a partner may significantly change a woman’s lifestyle or standard of living. If she has been at home fulltime with her children, she may have to return to work and make child care arrangements. She may also have to go on social assistance for the first time. When women have had no income of their own, or no access to the family’s money, the idea of being able to support themselves and their children can be overwhelming. Women may also feel a lot of guilt at the thought of taking their children from a comfortable home into poverty. Designed by Freepik Why do women stay in abusive relationships? continued
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