Violence can be considered “infectious” in rape-prone cultures
that celebrate violence and domination. The number of annual injuries
and deaths due to violence against women and girls is high enough
to demand the type of active interventions and public policies that have
been targeted at infectious diseases by public health agencies. In this
article, we review data on the physical and mental health effects that
violence has on victims of domestic violence, rape, stalking, and sexual
harassment. We also focus on the economic costs to the health care system,
business and industry, families, and the broader society that accrue
as a result of the widespread violence against women and girls. Victims’
suffering can never be accounted for by economic data, but those data
may be helpful in pushing governments to allocate funds and agencies to
take preventive actions.
If domestic violence is about power and control by the abuser over the victim, how can you explain mutual abuse in an intimate partner relationship? What role do you think learned behavior plays as contrasted with “bad genes”? Describe an intervention plan that will not “blame the victim” but can assist in preventing recidivism.
