ABSTRACT
The question of violence is never far away in groups of girls and women. Yet the so-called ‘disclosure’ of the presence of coercion in the lives of the young women is often greeted with shock. Instead of recognising that some level of coercion is, in fact, normal and everyday, this common response of shock suggests that the experience of violence is unusual. A skilful response acknowledges the presence of degrees of force and violence in the everyday reality of many girls and young women, and the differences concerning the acceptability of physical violence in different cultures, while at the same time stressing the unacceptability of violence in personal relationships.
