NCJ Number
99341
Date Published
1984
Length
149 pages
Annotation
This congressional hearing focused on spouse abuse, child sexual abuse, and other forms of family violence; Federal legislation; and public and private efforts to address violence in the family.
Abstract
Speakers included a victim of domestic violence (who was aided by the services of a crisis shelter) and the executive producer of a television drama depicting an incestuous relationship. The first witness explained how the shelter enabled her to end the cycle of violence that had begun when she was a child and had continued into her adult life. The second speaker described the film and its effectiveness in influencing many current and former incest victims to seek help for the first time. Other speakers were representatives of law enforcement organizations and of private, nonprofit human service agencies providing services to family violence victims. Data are given on the nature and extent of the problem, services available and needed, and relevant legislation. A study on the status and needs of American children is also included.