The dilemma of the battered wife : choices and options following respite at the refuge

Abstract

The phenomenon of wife abuse is a known feature of all societies affecting women irrespective of their social class, age or religion. The problem of wife battering remained hidden and unacknowledged by society until women's movements and the media have turned their focus on domestic violence. The lack of interest in the subject left women helplessly enduring brutality at the hands of their partners. Domestic violence takes various forms - physical, sexual, psychological. It is not limited solely to women but may also be extended to their children. Domestic abuse, in this study, is limited to the infliction of bodily harm. A number of misconceptions regarding family violence have served to rationalize and/or to avoid the problem. The most predominant of these is that domestic violence is rare, that it does not occur in relationships that "seem" normal, that it is a private matter which should be solved without outside intervention, and that battered women are responsible for their abuse. It is difficult to keep definite and accurate statistics regarding the problem of battered women since this is often a hidden problem. [...]