The silent treatment can be considered a form of emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse is something those dishing it out and on the receiving end may not even be aware that it is happening.

It can turn out to be more harmful than physical abuse given that it undermines the humanity of someone. As we give something or someone the freedom to define who we are, it can turn out crippling all we are meant to be. There are no barriers to how emotional abuse can occur: between husband and wife, parent and child, amongst friends or relatives.
Silent treatment, aka ‘cold war’, is a tactic that doesn’t mind the rights and responsibilities of both parties involved in a disagreement, but instead, the blame is made to lie with the party receiving it. The giver ends up getting their way, and prolonged silent treatment could lead what behavioral psychologists say could be a sign of ongoing or future emotional abuse.