NCJ Number
70154
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper, a problem statement from the National Clearinghouse on Domestic Violence, discusses wife abuse stating that it has become a major social problem.
Abstract
A recent national survey established that at least two million women are beaten each year by their husbands. A 1979 Louis Harris survey supports these findings. Ten percent of the wives interviewed reported physical abuse during the prior 12-month period, and 21 percent reported some violence in their marriage. Battering tends to escalate over time leading in some instances to murder. Two-thirds of all homicides in the United States were committed by persons who were friends, relatives, or acquaintances of the victim. In half of these cases, the murders occurred between husbands and wives. Spousal violence also endangers persons outside the family--the police and children for example. The options abused women face are limited. They are likely to be financially dependent upon their husbands with little work experience or job opportunities, and they frequently have young children. There are few places that a battered woman can turn for help. Police, social service, medical, and mental health agencies have been slow to respond to the problem. Efforts have been hampered by a lack of awareness and lack of skills in recognizing and assisting abused women. Also, resources of all these agencies are overburdened. In some communities, resources are available, and these include emergency shelters, and services such as counseling, job training, and legal advice. An aware community with trained and sensitive service providers is needed to support and assist battered women and their children. Social supports, sanctions, and resources are necessary to ensure that violence by one person against another is not acceptable, either at home or in the street.