ABSTRACT
One of the key lessons of this volume is that deviance takes many shapes and forms. Nonetheless, some violations of social and legal norms are more common than others. Furthermore, some transgressive acts are far more harmful to individuals and society in general than are others. Violence against women in intimate relationships is one prime example of a worldwide, highly injurious social problem. Indeed, the number of females affected by this devastating shade of deviance would, in the words of former Canadian politician and current human rights activist Stephen Lewis, ‘numb the mind of Einstein’ (cited in Vallee 2007).
