Tactics of Power and control look alike whether perpetrated against an intimate partner or an entire cultural/ethnic group. Whether we are talking about power and control within an , or within the whole of U.S. society, we see the same tactics used to maintain an unequal distribution of power, control and access to resources.

Collective/ Individual/ Societal Level Interpersonal Level using physical & sexual

Genocide of Native people; Slapping, kicking, pulling hair, raping, towards African Americans; and choking, punching, grabbing, fondling, sexual assault of women; & restraining, biting, tripping, assault- of people w/ disabilities; ing, hitting, shoving, groping, grabbing, hate crimes against LGBTQ folks. twisting arms.

using

Preventing oppressed group from gaining Preventing survivor from getting or employment/education; making group keeping a job; forcing survivor to ask members ask for and justify need for for money; using survivor’s credit cards resources; requiring hoop-jumping in without permission; requiring survivor to order to maintain inadequate financial provide support; taking survivor’s name supports. off joint assets.

using children Making survivors feel guilty about Forced removal of children from children; denying custody or access to communities (boarding schools, foster children (or threatening to if survivor care system); forced sterilization/ leaves); threatening to tell authorities restricted access to reproductive that survivor is LGBT so they will remove health services for poor communities & children from home. communities of color; racial dispropor- tionalities in CPS investigations.

Virginia Sexual & Action Alliance • www.vsdvalliance.org Collective/ Individual/ Societal Level Interpersonal Level using

Pervasive negative depictions and Putting survivor down; making survivor portrayals of group reinforcing ideas of feel bad about themselves; calling survivor being “less than”; manipulating target names; playing ; ; groups with and false promises; questioning whether survivor is a “real” pathologizing cultural traits and practices. lesbian/man/christian/person of color/etc.

using

Controlling and restricting access to Controlling who survivor sees or talks to, resources/mobility; creating separate what survivor does with other people; (unequal) institutions/housing/etc; diverting limiting survivor’s outside activities; resources away from public transportation in making survivor account for their low-income and primarily people of color. whereabouts; not letting survivor go neighborhoods; criminalization & incarceration. anywhere alone; denying survivor access to vehicles/transportation.

using , & threats

Creating a and unpredict- Making survivor afraid by using looks, ability through cultural messages which gestures, actions; smashing things, condone harassment and/or violence abusing pets, displaying wapons; threat- towards certain social groups; leveraging ening to destroy property, harm children; access to authority (law enforcement, telling survivor that bad things are going child protective services, immigration); to happen if they don’t do exactly what surveillance of community. abuser is telling them to do.

minimizing, denying, & blaming

Minimizing impacts of slavery, coloniza- Making light of the abuse; shifting tion/genocide; blaming people of color/ responsibility for the abuse; saying women for achievement gap, wage gap, everything is survivor’s fault or that health disparities; denying prevalence survivor deserved it; abusive partner of sexual assault and rape and survi- saying “women can’t abuse women” or vors; telling targeted communities that “men can’t abuse men”; saying it’s just oppression they experience is historical, “fighting” not abuse; blaming alcohol/ that things have changed. drugs. Developed by Nathaniel Shara for 2012 Northwest Network Q&A for Advocates Training, Seattle WA - nathan@nwnetwork,org. Used with permission. Seattle WA Developed by Nathaniel Shara for 2012 Northwest Network Q&A Advocates Training,

Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance • www.vsdvalliance.org