title: Violence against women: the state of batterer prevention programs.
abstract: While both men and women can be victims, domestic violence usually consists of assaults on women, and most violence against women occurs within an intimate relationship. In the past twenty years, numerous state and provincial programs to intervene in domestic violence cases have developed. The programs tend to focus on treating batterers, although they also offer counseling to domestic violence victims. The jury remains out on the effectiveness of these programs. A major issue is whether the programs use appropriate standards. After an overview of the prevalence and nature of domestic violence, this article provides a discussion of those standards--their nature, effectiveness, and limitations. Another section discusses use of a batterer intervention program in an urban setting. Yet another section explores the implications of intimate partner violence and looks again at the effectiveness of batterer treatment within intervention programs. The article closes with a look at the way one state addresses domestic violence and treats it as a crime. An inescapable conclusion to be drawn from the discussion is that violence against women has its roots in cultural assumptions that must undergo change if the incidence of that violence is to be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Etiology and Surveillance Branch, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Ileana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dankwort
authors.forename: Ulester
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dutton
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D018585:Battered Women / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006078:Government Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011049:Social Control Policies / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence