Post-separationPower and Control Wheel

Duluth Post Separation Power and Control Wheel

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Using physical & sexual violence

Using harassment & intimidation

Disrupting relationship with child

Undermining ability to parent

Post-separation power & control

Discrediting her as a mother

Disregarding children

Endangering children

Withholding financial support

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Adapted from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project www.theduluthmodel.org

Disregarding children

• Ignoring school schedules, homework.
• Ridiculing their needs, wants, fears, identities.
• Forcing family members, new girlfriends or wives, other women to do his parenting work.
• Treating them as younger or older than they are.
• Enforcing strict gender roles.

Using harassment & intimidation

• Destroying things belonging/ related to her/ children.
• Using children to justify breaking no contact orders.
• Threatening and stalking.
• Making his presence known while staying conspicuously outside protection order boundaries.
• Abusing animals.

Withholding financial support

• Withholding child support, insurance, medical, basic expense payments.
• Using court action to take her money, resources.
• Interfering with her ability to work.
• Blocking access to money after separation.

Disrupting relationship with child

• Coercing them to ally with him.
• Degrading her to them.
• Using children as spies.
• Isolating children from her; her from children.

Endangering children

• Neglecting them when they’re with him.
• Putting them in age inappropriate emotional, physical situations.
• Using violence in front of children.

Discrediting her as a mother

• Using her social status against her sexual identity.
• Immigration, race, religion, education, income.
• Inundating systems with false accusations of bad parenting.
• Exploiting ‘children need a father’ to gain sympathy.
• Isolating her from family, friends etc.

Using physical & sexual violence

• Threatening to kill or kidnap the children.
• Physically hurting her.
• Abusing children physically, sexually, emotionally.
• Forcing sex as a condition for keeping the children safe or allowing her to see them.

Undermining ability to parent

• Disrupting children’s sleep, feeding patterns.
• Withholding information about children’s social, emotional, physical needs.
• Contradicting her rules for children.
• Demanding visitation schedules at children’s expense.