Men's listening area

Violent behavior of which men are victims in their intimate relationships with partners.

Description of violent behavior

Although the title of this document, Violence Against Men in Intimate Relationships, refers to violence experienced by men (spouses or common-law partners) in heterosexual intimate relationships, it does not address not the violence that occurs in relationships between partners of the same sex.

In this document, the use of the term "violence against men" is used to refer to all forms of violence, whether acts of physical violence (which fall within the legal category of de facto”) or non-physical violence. This expression also refers to any act of violence committed by a woman with the intention (real or perceived as such) to inflict physical injury, intimidate or cause mental suffering to her intimate male partner.

Many researchers distinguish between two forms of physical violence: minor and severe. Actions such as shoving, pushing, grabbing or slapping, which are unlikely to cause significant pain or injury, belong to the first form of violence. Severe forms are attacks that have a high risk of causing serious injury or pain: strangling, kicking, hitting with an object, beating, or using a knife or gun. In Canada, these two forms of violence, minor and severe, are considered assault.

Emotional abuse is characterized by behavior that aims to make the partner feel guilty, demeaned, intimidated or humiliated, such as yelling, insulting them or limiting their contact with friends and family. This behavior often occurs in relationships that are also physically abusive.