Woman abuse exists and persists in our society because it has been condoned and accepted for centuries. Control tactics are based on a range of personal and cultural beliefs which support the perpetrator feeling entitled to abuse, including:

• The assumption of male privilege

• The belief that women have less value than men and are to blame for violence

• The belief that aggressive men are heroes and normal women are subservient

(Source: CAS/VAW Joint Training Participant Manual, 2000)