There are different degree's of abuse, and then you have to deal with the definitions of 'abuse'. And what the current society defines as abuse in regions vs. professionals clinical definitions of abuse. There is psychological/emotional abuse and there is physical abuse; in the jw realm, the psych abuse is more observable than physical abuse so thus they are to instructed to wait on Jehovah for psychological problems. the physical abuse is much more of an open arena and not taken very seriously.

But this problem doesn't just happen in the jw ranks, every religion has to deal with this problem. Bad apples in all of them.