Battering by men is the most significant cause of injury to women in our society. It is also a major cause of child abuse, murder, substance abuse and female suicide attempts. This volume, the result of 15 years of research conducted by the authors - a social worker and physician respectively - explores the theoretical perspectives of this dramatic expression of male domination, together with health consequences for women and clinical interventions.

The authors found that the traditional resources women turn to for help reinforce male domination: the medical, psychiatric and behavioural...

One of the most important books ever written on domestic violence, Coercive Control breaks through entrenched views of physical abuse that have ultimately failed to protect women. Evan Stark, founder of one of America's first battered women's shelters, shows how "domestic violence" is neither primarily domestic nor necessarily violent, but a pattern of controlling behaviors more akin to terrorism and hostage-taking. Drawing on court records, interviews, and FBI statistics, Stark details coercive strategies that men use to deny women their very personhood, from "beeper games" to food...

Previously the only book in the field that provided a strong focus on the criminal justice system's responses to domestic violence, this new edition has been expanded to also provide a comprehensive overview of public and non-profit social service and healthcare services and interventions. This book covers both the victim's and the offender's perspective and discusses the needs, preferences and satisfaction for intervention, as well as the impact of interventions. The diversity in victims is also examined, suggesting that this not only impacts their needs, preferences, and attitudes, but also...