Empowering Women with Domestic Violence Experience

It is generally held that it has been only recently that domestic violence gained appropriate attention as a major social problem. However several approaches, drawn from different theories are applicable in explaining the origin of this negative phenomenon. It is well recognized that trauma of domestic violence has destructive impact on somatic and mental health as well as on quality of life. Different screening instruments are available to identify women who have been abused but no studies to date have evaluated the effectiveness of screening to reduce violence or to improve women's health. Public education and police and social worker home visits showed that neither intervention affected service-awareness or service-use scores of individuals who experienced abuse. The aim of this paper is to share with educators and mental health workers some ideas how lifelong learning combined with empowering approaches might help women with domestic violence experience increase their knowledge, coping strategies and self management as well as achieve wellness and social inclusion in their everyday lives. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]