ABSTRACT
Domestic violence has both private and public costs to society. It has devastating consequences for the families in which it occurs, with impacts on the mental and physical health of the victims, and on the children who witness the violence. Many victim service, public health, and legal system interventions have been developed to deal with this issue. Here we define the phenomena of domestic violence and describe different types of violence that occur between partners. We also discuss the prevalence of domestic violence, describe legislative and policy changes around this issue, and describe specific victim service and legal remedies to address it, along with the evidence of the effectiveness of these programs.
