Abuse can affect everyone.

We want you to know that there is help.
To make a referral to WECYAC and HWoW please call 519-995-3974 or 519-997-2449
To find resources available to you in Windsor-Essex click resource button below.

Types of Violence in Relationships

Sexual Violence

• Any unwanted sexual activity, behaviour, or threatening actions done by one partner to the other without consent. Unwanted sexual behaviour is often done with the intention to create fear, pain, and show power. Sexual violence can include forcing one partner to have sexual activity with others when they do not want to.
• Coercion is also sexual violence. If one partner has said “no” or “maybe” to sexual activity and the other partner keeps asking, begging or using threats to”convince” them to say yes when they have already said no—this is sexual violence. For example, one partner saying “if you don’t have sex with me, I’ll have to get it somewhere else” to the other.

Some Important Facts about Consent

• People under the influence of drugs or alcohol cannot consent to sexual activity.
• If sexual activity has already started and one partner changes their mind—all sexual activity must stop. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
• Consenting to one sexual activity does not mean a person consents to other sexual activities.
• If someone is coerced (like discussed above), consent is not given.

Emotional Abuse

• Any act that harms one partner’s mental and emotional health which can include constant criticism, belittling, manipulation, threats of harm, and any behaviour that degrades, humiliates or controls one partner’s emotions.

Financial Abuse

• Any behaviour by one partner towards the other to gain control over their money which can include withholding money, limiting access to their money, ruining employment or educational opportunities, or creating debt.

Spiritual Abuse

• Not allowing someone to participate in their religious beliefs, forcing or coercing someone to convert to a different religion, or belittling/making fun of someone’s beliefs/practices.

Coercive Control

• Any pattern of control used by one partner to instill terror to the other partner by using threats which can include restricting one partner from seeing family, friends or others, for example talking to anyone of the opposite gender, and controlling their job, health, education, and other areas of their life.

Criminal Harassment (Also known as Stalking)

• Any repeated behaviour that makes one partner scared for their safety. This can look like following one partner, tracking one partner’s whereabouts, as well as repetitive phone calls, emails, texts, and voicemails.

Cyber-Violence

• Any use of technology to cause fear, harm or embarrassment to one partner. This can look like spamming one partners social media with negative comments, spying on someone online, tracking their location without them knowing, and sharing someone’s personal information (address, phone number, etc.) without consent. This can also look like distributing someone’s nudes. Distribution of someone’s nudes is a Criminal Offence and includes making “Deep Fakes” or using AI to edit images to remove someone’s clothing.

Abusive partners tend to use tactics in many tactics to keep the other partner in the relationship. The Cycle of Violence (Abuse) can make it very hard for someone to leave the relationship.
On average, it takes up to eight times for someone to leave their abusive partner.

Sexual Violence

• Any unwanted sexual activity, behaviour, or threatening actions done by one partner to the other without consent. Unwanted sexual behaviour is often done with the intention to create fear, pain, and show power. Sexual violence can include forcing one partner to have sexual activity with others when they do not want to.
• Coercion is also sexual violence. If one partner has said “no” or “maybe” to sexual activity and the other partner keeps asking, begging or using threats to”convince” them to say yes when they have already said no—this is sexual violence. For example, one partner saying “if you don’t have sex with me, I’ll have to get it somewhere else” to the other.

Remember, dating violence can take many forms and does not have to include physical
violence to be abusive.

It only takes one abusive behaviour to make a relationship unhealthy.

If any of the above forms of violence are present in your relationship, it might be the time to
reach out for support and start thinking about how to safely leave the relationship.

For more information on Safety Planning please contact our Youth System Navigator at
519-995-3974.

You may also contact Victim Services of Windsor and Essex who can assist you in safety
planning.

Safety planning for domestic violence victims – Victim Services of Windsor and Essex County
Safety Planning for Intimate Partner Violence | Windsor Police Service

Everyone deserves to have healthy relationships in their lives.

Healthy relationships involve…

Shared Responsibility

• Tasks are distributed evenly between you and your partner.

Financial Partnership

• You and your partner make money-related decisions that are fair and respectful to one another.

Negotiation and Fairness

• Disagreements between you and your partner are handled respectfully with both people being able to be heard and listened to.
  Any compromises feel fair and not forced, and you talk things through instead of “winning” arguments.
  For example, it’s not “my way or your way” it’s “our way”.