Ignorance is a wonderful thing especially if you are a feminist, also helps if you suffer from delusions. The delusional part being that women are just helpless victims of all and sundry and would not raise a finger to murder, rape, molest, abuse or maim children or their partners. The delusional mind goes even deeper into that level when they are of the opinion that women are the epitome, the sole centre of love and cuddles and that could be the case if they were not so bloody violent. Women display this ability even more when they are in a relationship together. Demonstrating to all and sundry that they are the winners when it comes to murdering, maiming and abusing one of their own..

Not convinced ?

I find it fascinating that we never ever hear about lesbian domestic violence or barely touch on violence by women in general although the proof is way past the denial stage and yet they continue to sweep it under the carpet and pretend it does not exist. It is the exact same situation about female violence and we have not got started on female sex abusers which is an entire topic of it's own..

Violent betrayal: Partner abuse in lesbian relationships.
Renzetti, Claire M.
Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc. (1992). 202 pp.
Based on a nationwide study of violence in lesbian relationships, this comprehensive, accessible volume derives from a common theme expressed by the subjects: the sense of having been betrayed, first by their lovers, and subsequently by a lesbian community which tends to deny the problem when victims seek help. Renzetti skillfully addresses several central issues: consequences for victims, batterers and the community as a whole; and what we can learn about domestic violence in general by studying violence in lesbian relationships. The research offers a fresh look at domestic violence by examining the phenomenon of women as perpetrators of intimate violence against women,

Partner violence in lesbian relationships

By Janice Ristock, Ph.D., Associate Vice-President Research and Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Manitoba

Research examining woman-to-woman intimate partner violence lags behind research on heterosexual domestic violence. As a result, many assumptions and stereotypes continue to exist, which can minimize and/or misrecognize violence between women.  Anti-violence interventions based on heterosexual domestic violence research are often inappropriately applied to lesbian women. 

What does current research tell us?

Several studies have confirmed a pattern where abuse is more likely to occur in a woman’s first intimate relationship with another woman. This suggests that abuse often happens in a particular context of vulnerability and isolation.

Current research continues to document the barriers that remain for lesbians trying to seek services for partner abuse. Having access to formal supports often depends on where you live (geographic area, urban or rural locations). Research has found that lesbians are more likely to turn to friends than professionals for support.

Finally, in addition to findings on partner abuse, research has established that lesbians experience higher rates of public violence (for example, assault, harassment and/or robbery) compared to heterosexual women. 

Family Violence Prevention E-Bulletin: July 2011

Violence by Women and Girls

Feature Articles

Women, Girls and Violent Offences

Women and girls have more commonly been involved in the criminal justice system as victims rather than offenders. While females make up half of violent crime victims, they represent a minority of offenders.  Most data on offenders in Canada are based on incidents reported to police, yet we know that a number of crimes go unreported.

Based on Statistics Canada reports, we know that:

1. Females made up 28% of youth (under 18 years of age) and 22% of adults accused of an offence by police.
2. Female youth crime rates were generally three times higher than those of adult women.
3. Girls were half as likely to self-report violent delinquent behaviour, compared to boys (15% vs. 30%, respectively).
4. Adult females were most commonly accused of: theft under $5,000; administration of justice offences (e.g. failure to appear in court); and assault level 1 (least severe form).
5. The overall rate at which women have been charged by police for Criminal Code offences has fallen since 1992, but rates of women charged with violent offences have increased over the past 30 years.
   1. These rates almost tripled between 1979 and 1997 and continued to rise until 2001. Since then, rates have remained relatively stable.
   2. The higher rates were largely due to a rise in charge rates for assault level 1.
6. Adult women were more likely to be violent toward an intimate partner, whereas young women were more often violent toward friends or acquaintances.
7. Females account for 10% of those accused of homicide, with victims most commonly being spouses and children. For roughly 75% of women who killed their spouse, there were previous incidents of violence between the couple.

References:

Kong, Rebecca and Kathy Au Coin. (2008). “Female Offenders in Canada ” Juristat. Vol. 28, no.1. Statistics Canada Catalogue no.85-002-XIE. Ottawa.

Hotton Mahony, Tina. (2011). Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report: Women and the Criminal Justice System . Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-503-X. Ottawa.

Savoie, Josee. (2006). “Youth Self-Reported Delinquency, Toronto, 2006 ” Juristat. Vol. 27, no. 6. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-XIE. Ottawa.