To the editors:
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Nor is family violence isolated among some small segment of society. It affects women of all racial, economic, religious and social groups. The FBI estimates that a woman is beaten every 18 seconds in this country. One half of all married women will be beaten at least once by their husbands. Every day 11 women are killed by their male partners and abuse is the leading cause of injury to women as well. Children also pay a price. In homes where wife beating occurs, child abuse is often present. And without treatment, many children of violent homes will grow up to be abused or abusing adults.
Perhaps most dismaying in Bogira’s article is the offhanded comment, “Gots me a piece inna night stan’ too.” This is hardly a solution to the problem. One study done earlier in the decade showed that two-thirds of women facing homicide charges in Cook County jail were accused of having murdered their abusers. Had more shelters been available, had more women known about and been encouraged to seek the help they needed, had the press done a better job of addressing this serious and widespread issue, many of these women might have found a safer and happier way out of their dilemma instead of a jail cell or, worse yet, a grave.
Margaret Ann Jozsa
Steve Bogira replies:
