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Violence against Women as a Public Health Issue
Author(s) -
CHRISLER JOAN C.,
FERGUSON SHEILA
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1385.009
Subject(s) - stalking , harassment , public health , psychological intervention , sexual violence , criminology , domestic violence , environmental health , health care , economic growth , poison control , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , political science , medicine , psychiatry , psychology , nursing , economics , law
Violence can be considered “infectious” in rape‐prone cultures that celebrate violence and domination. The number of annual injuries and deaths due to violence against women and girls is high enough to demand the type of active interventions and public policies that have been targeted at infectious diseases by public health agencies. In this article, we review data on the physical and mental health effects that violence has on victims of domestic violence, rape, stalking, and sexual harassment. We also focus on the economic costs to the health care system, business and industry, families, and the broader society that accrue as a result of the widespread violence against women and girls. Victims' suffering can never be accounted for by economic data, but those data may be helpful in pushing governments to allocate funds and agencies to take preventive actions.