What is family violence?

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If you or someone you know needs support, you can access family violence helplines and services across Canada.

Learn about the types of family violence, the forms it takes, its health and social impacts, and how to get help.

On this page

• Defining family violence
• Types of family violence
• What family violence looks like
• Health and social impacts of family violence
• Getting help

Defining family violence

Family violence is when someone in a family or close relationship uses behaviour that’s violent, threatening, neglectful or controlling. The behaviour makes another person feel unsafe or afraid.

Family violence can happen:

• regardless of age, education or where you live
• in many kinds of relationships and family structures

It also affects people of all races, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. When violence is committed against someone based on their gender, gender identity, gender expression or perceived gender, it’s also a form of gender-based violence.

Learn more about gender-based violence.

Types of family violence

Types of family violence include:

• child maltreatment
  • physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect
  • exposure to intimate partner violence
    • seeing, hearing or being indirectly exposed to abuse and injuries between adults in the home
    • experiencing the outcome, like damaged property or possessions
• intimate partner violence
  • physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, economic abuse in a marriage, common-law or dating relationship, even after it has ended
• mistreatment of older persons (also known as elder abuse)
  • physical, psychological, financial or sexual abuse or neglect by an intimate partner, child, grandchild, caregiver or others where there’s an expectation of trust

Family violence also includes:

• harmful practices
  • underage or forced marriage
  • female genital mutilation or cutting
  • violence committed in the name of “honour”
• sibling abuse
  • physical, emotional, sexual abuse of a sibling by another
    • includes siblings by birth, step-siblings, foster siblings, adopted siblings
• child-to-parent violence and aggression
  • a pattern of violent and aggressive behaviour in children and youth towards their parents or main caregivers
    • includes physical, psychological, emotional and financial abuse

Access information on sibling violence.

What family violence looks like

The content in this section talks about experiences of family violence. This may be hard to read, and it may bring up strong feelings, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Please take care.

If you need support, you can visit our Mental health supports page or our Family violence helplines and services page.

Family violence can take many forms:

• physical abuse
• sexual abuse
• emotional or psychological abuse
• neglect
• economic abuse
• coercive control
• harassment and stalking
• threats or harm to pets or property

Physical abuse

Physical abuse includes:

• kicking
• burning
• throwing objects
• hitting or slapping
• choking or pushing
• stabbing or cutting
• tying someone down
• locking someone in a room

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is an act of a sexual nature that occurs without consent. It can occur with or without physical contact and with or without violence.

Canada has laws about consent:

• The age of consent is 16 years. This means that a person must be at least 16 years old to legally agree (consent) to sexual activity.
• In some cases, the age of consent is higher (for example, when there is a relationship of trust, authority or dependency).

All sexual activity without consent is a criminal offence, regardless of age.

Learn about the laws on age of consent for sexual activity.

Sexual abuse includes:

• non-consensual sexual touching, kissing or penetration of any kind with an object or any part of the body
• forcing a person to touch themselves or someone else for sexual purposes
• exposing a person to one’s genitals without consent (called exhibitionism)
• engaging in online sexual violence, such as:
  • online child sexual exploitation
  • threatening to distribute sexual images or information (called sextortion)
  • taking or distributing sexual images, videos or “deep fakes”

Emotional or psychological abuse

Emotional or psychological abuse involves words or actions that harm or frighten someone or weaken their self-respect.

Emotional or psychological abuse includes:

• isolation
• humiliation
• intimidation
• name-calling
• manipulation
• making someone feel worthless or afraid
• threatening to tell others about someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity without consent

Neglect

Neglect is when a caregiver (parent, guardian or person in a position of trust) doesn’t provide:

• basic needs such as food, warm clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision and hygiene or
• the emotional support that a child or dependent adult needs to feel safe and secure

It’s an ongoing pattern rather than a single incident.

Economic abuse

Economic abuse includes:

• taking or controlling someone’s money
• using money or property to control, exploit or harm someone
• limiting a person’s independence, such as not allowing them to work or putting debt in their name

Coercive control

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour that someone uses to limit their partner’s sense of control and freedom. This behaviour can make the partner fear for their own safety or the safety of people they know. Over time, the behaviour causes the partner to feel stuck and unable to act independently or safely.

Coercive control can include behaviours that are against the law, such as sexual or physical violence.

It can also include less obvious actions, such as:

• threatening their immigration status
• threatening to take away their children
• restricting their opinions or gender expression
• blocking their access to health care or medication
• monitoring or limiting where they go and who they see
• harming or threatening to harm themselves or someone the partner knows

Learn more about coercive control.

Harassment and stalking

Harassment and stalking involve repeated unwanted contact, following, spying on, threatening, intimidating or making someone fear for their safety.

Harassment and stalking can also take place online, through:

• social media and email or
• software programs, apps and devices that monitor another person’s activity, often without their knowledge

Threats or harm to pets and property

Hurting animals and breaking or threatening to destroy things someone cares about is a form of abuse.

Health and social impacts of family violence

Family violence can harm a person’s physical, mental and emotional health. The impacts can be complex and long-lasting, even affecting future generations. They can also affect a person’s social or economic situation.

Experiencing family violence increases the risk of:

• fear, shame or isolation
• alcohol or drug use as a way to cope
• anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress (PTSD), self-injury, suicidal ideation or suicide attempts
• bruises, broken bones or brain injuries
• trouble at school or work and problems with relationships
• unstable employment
• chronic pain, headaches, stomach problems or sleep issues
• intergenerational trauma
  • Children who grow up with family violence are at greater risk of experiencing or using violence later in life.

Longer-lasting or more severe abuse can lead to greater health and social impacts and to longer recovery time for individuals and families. For example, a child who lives with abuse or is exposed to violence in the home can experience health impacts throughout their life.

Getting help

If you’re experiencing family violence, you don’t have to face it alone. You deserve to feel safe in your home and in your relationships.

It’s natural to feel unsure, afraid or confused about what to do next. It isn’t easy to address and heal from trauma. Learning about family violence and its impact on you, your children or other loved ones is an important step towards healing.

Consider talking to someone you trust:

• friend
• family member
• Elder
• teacher
• community leader
• health professional

You can also contact a local community organization, shelter or crisis centre for guidance.

Learn more:

• Family violence laws
• How to recognize family violence
• How to respond to family violence
• Family violence: Plan for your safety
• Get help: Family violence helplines and services

Also access:

• Canadian Centre for Child Protection: Survivor and family support