WARNING

This warning comes directly from the Office of Victims of Crime website.  It also applies to this website:
"Warning: Before e-mailing or using this Web site, know that an abuser in the home can discover your Internet activities. The safest way to find information on the Internet would be at a local library or a friend's house. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), TDD 1-800-787-3224" (Office of Victims of Crime, 2010, Domestic Violence).

        Background

The violence of women is something that has been around since the middle ages and continues on in today’s society.  In the middle ages in England wives had to comply to whatever their husbands did because it was associated with their loyalty to God and to the rulers.  Wives were very dependant on their husbands therefore there was abuse of the women.  Since they had to follow what their husbands said they could not really do much about the abuse.  It was not until the 19th century that agencies were created for domestic violence.  Womens activists made further strides by the 1970s where numerous battered women shelters started appearing.  When these shelters first started they were having trouble establishing legitimacy and funding.  After much hard work the activists got their first national organization.  The organization was called the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  The goal of this group was to make people realize that domestic abuse was not something that is just a personal family matter.  That it should be considered a legitimate public concern.  The work of these women led to changes in the criminal justice system, such as mandatory arrests and mandatory report of abuse by health care providers in some states.  Battered women were also offered protection and they even got special domestic violence courts.  In 1994 President Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act.  This act gave 1.6 billion dollars to enhance investigation and prosecution of the violent crime perpetrated against women, increased pre-trial detention of the accused, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted.  While significant strides have been made there is still room for improvement and women’s groups are still working today to help the abuse of women (Gilson, Depoy, and Kramer 2003.)