There are numerous myths about women abuse and continuing to believe in the myths may keep people from taking action to help an abused woman or may make it more difficult for a woman to take the hard, but necessary steps to get out of an abusive relationship. When we use the word “abuse” some people know that it encompasses all forms of abuse. However, most people continue to associate the word “abuse” as a physical assault. For example: most women will think “I’m not in an abusive relationship because (he) never hit me.” This is a common misconception of the word abuse. Violence against women can be examples of: (he) is withholding finances from her. (He) calls her fat. (He) tells her she’s not good enough. (He) humiliates her by demanding she gets undressed and stares at herself in the mirror as continues to degrade her body image. Violence against women embodies all forms of abuse such as domestic violence and sexual violence. Forms of abuse are: physical, emotional, verbal, financial, psychological and sexual. Myths minimize violence against women and the impact on survivors and victims.
People believe that the woman will leave her relationship if it was that bad. These myths may even stop us from calling the police if we hear it happening next door.
So it is vitally important to talk about the myths and be truthful about what is really happening. Not only does it educate the general public about violence against women, but it also helps families along the way to get help.