Explores diverse feminist and legal responses to domestic violence across cultures. Argues that domestic violence must be viewed in its social and cultural context and offers suggestions for those dealing with incidents of abuse.

Explores diverse feminist and legal responses to domestic violence across cultures. Argues that domestic violence must be viewed in its social and cultural context and offers suggestions for those dealing with incidents of abuse.

Violence against women is one factor in the growing wave of alarm about violence in American society. High-profile cases such as the O.J. Simpson trial call attention to the thousands of lesser-known but no less tragic situations in which women's lives are shattered by beatings or sexual assault. The search for solutions has highlighted not only what we know about violence against women but also what we do not know. How can we achieve the best understanding of this problem and its complex ramifications? What research efforts will yield the greatest benefit? What are the questions that must be answered? Understanding Violence Against Women presents a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and identifies four areas with the greatest potential return from a research investment by increasing the understanding of and responding to domestic violence and rape: What interventions are designed to do, whom they are reaching, and how to reach the many victims who do not seek help. Factors that put people at risk of violence and that precipitate violence, including characteristics of offenders. The scope of domestic violence and sexual assault in America and its conequences to individuals, families, and society, including costs. How to structure the study of violence against women to yield more useful knowledge. Despite the news coverage and talk shows, the real fundamental nature of violence against women remains unexplored and often misunderstood. Understanding Violence Against Women provides direction for increasing knowledge that can help ameliorate this national problem.

Argues that understanding resistance to countermeasures against domestic violence requires recognizing the tension within liberalism between preserving the privacy of the family and protecting vulnerable individuals. [back cover].

This text provides a philosophical investigation of the criminal prosecution of domestic violence. It features a theoretical framework for understanding ongoing debates regarding the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence.

First published in 1985, this is the first published study of violence in the family to be aimed directly at people whose professions bring them into contact with domestic abuse victims, as well as those training for those professions. It documents the problems faced by women with violent husbands and discusses how the needs of these women and of their children can best be met. The first part of the book reports the results of original research carried out by the editor. The second part of the book is concerned with the response of the law, the police, social services, housing departments and health services. The third part draws on the conference at which this research was presented, and offers recommendations for the future, in terms if better practice and of broad social and economic changes. This book will be of interest to students of social work, health care, medicine and law, as well as those studying social policy, sociology and women’s studies.