ABSTRACT
Andrea Dworkin writes in her recent book: "[t]he problem of battery can't be solved if we don't understand that a woman in this society actually does have a right to have a home" (Dworkin, 1997, 163). Sadly enough, this article deals with the fact that it is not even enough to provide a home. The Nordic welfare states have not succeeded in abolishing domestic violence nor other forms of violence against women. While the social policies of the Nordic welfare states have promoted women's emancipation and have enabled some women to leave violent partners, these policies have proved to be inadequate to deal with many violent situations.
