After centuries of not addressing the abusive behavior in families or those in familial or intimate partner styled relationships, towards the end of the 20th century there was progress. However, there continue to be numerous myths, misconceptions, and outright denial that fragment and divide proper understanding of the issue. The enigma that is domestic violence remains unresolved and many deliberations continue to be contentious rather than conciliatory.
In early 1960, Dr. C. H. Kempe coined the term battered child syndrome.” Society, after many failed attempts, began to accept that the majority of child abuse was not committed by strangers nor was it a problem only for “those at the lower end of the socioeconomic educational strata.” Many guilt of abusing children were their parents or other caretakers in the home. It is universally agreed and unbiased data will document that, concerning child abuse, males and females perpetrate equal levels of nonsexual abuse. This generally accepted accord has allowed for a consensus that has helped facilitate progress.
Domestic violence advocates who work with battered women claim that 95 percent of the victims are women. Data from the National Institute of Justice document that 85 percent of the victims who report domestic violence incidents are women. The National Violence against Women Survey reports that approximately two thirds of victims are women and one third are men. National studies from the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire detail that physical abuse rates are approximately equal between husbands and wives.
Harvey Wallace in his book, Family Violence: Legal, Medical, and Social Perspectives, writes on page 3, “How does one accurately study or research a phenomenon if a definition cannot be agreed on because the definition of any act both sets limits and focuses research with certain boundaries.” The above differences are not facts, rather they are.
