Little Eyes, Little Ears

How Violence Against a Mother Shapes Children as they Grow

by Alison Cunningham & Linda Baker (2007)

A resource for anyone looking to understand how children experience violence against their mothers and how those experiences may shape them as they grow, from infancy to adolescence. Funded by the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Public Health Agency of Canada. We combined the most popular information from our most popular resources, included lots of new material, and added reference to the latest sources of information and updated statistics. Topics addressed include facts & figures, ten ways a child can be changed by living with violence at home, and some myths about woman abuse and children. This is a concise source of information for anyone wanting to understand how children experience violence against their mothers and how those experiences may shape them as they grow, from infancy to adolescence.

Download a Copy

Little Eyes, Little Ears

Hard copies of this document are available from the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. Ordering information is below.

Table of Contents

• Seeking to understand

• Glossary of terms

• Types of abuse against women and children

• Facts & figures

• Woman abuse and children

• Little eyes, little ears

• Ten ways a child can be changed by violence at home

• Effects of coercive control tactics on a mother

• Myths about children and domestic violence

• Infants and toddlers

• Pre-schoolers

• School-aged children

• Teenagers

• Coping and survival strategies of young people

• Roles children may assume

• Services

• Supporting women as parents

• How to help

• The need for differential response

• Responding to child disclosures

• Barriers to child disclosure

• Reporting child maltreatment

• Taking care of yourself

• How can I make a difference?

• Where to get more information

• References cited

Ordering Information

Little Eyes, Little Ears is one of 130 publications available in both French and English for order at no cost through the on-line ordering system of the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. The Clearinghouse reserves the right to limit the number of copies per order. International orders are welcomed.

There are a number of ways to order copies of Little Eyes, Little Ears or any other this publication produced by the Clearinghouse:

* on-line ordering through their web site: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/nc-cn
* by sending a fax to (613) 941-8930
* by calling one of their local or toll free telephone numbers:

• toll-free in Canada: 1-800-267-1291
• local number in the Ottawa area: (613) 957-2938
• from outside Canada: 1-613-957-2938
• TTY/TTD for the deaf, deafened, and hard-of-hearing at 1-800-561-5643 (toll free inside Canada) or local number in the Ottawa area: (613) 952-6396

* by writing to:

National Clearinghouse on Family Violence
Family Violence Prevention Unit
Public Health Agency of Canada
200 Eglantine Driveway
Jeanne Mance Building, 1909D
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 CANADA

On-site Training

Training sessions on this topic can be tailored to your needs. Contact Karen Rhiger for more information.

En français

Disponible également en français :

Petits yeux, petites oreilles : Comment la violence envers une mère façonne les enfants lorsqu'ils grandissent

Other Resources on Children and Domestic Violence

The Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System (formerly called the London Family Court Clinic) is known around the world for our innovative approach to understanding children exposed to domestic violence, supporting their mothers, and creating resources for service deliverers. A range of resources is available to assist students, front-line professionals, volunteers, educators, and mothers who themselves have survived woman abuse. On our Children and Domestic Violence Resource Page, you find links to all the material on our web site related to this important topic.