ABSTRACT
The movements are in the process of challenging one of the oldest forms of intimate domination and of assisting millions of victims of one of its most brutal manifestations. In the space of little over a decade, coercive male domination and the physical abuse of women in the home have been recognized throughout the world as problems of importance and placed on the agendas of change. The pressure of local and national groups, many inspired by the movements in Britain and the USA, have brought this social problem on to a world stage. From the beginning, the movements faced formidable obstacles in the prevailing public perceptions of the problem itself and of their attempts to create solutions. As one British politician proclaimed in the 1970s,
…why should the Government get involved in a family squabble…Surely they could go to a neighbour or a relative for some time and think things over rather than run to the State to look after them.1
