Interrupting intimate partner violence in developing countries

摘要

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behavior [1 ]. IPV includes violence by both current and former spouses and partners. "Wife beating," the subject of an article by Dalai et al. in this issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, is one type of IPV [2].Dalai et al. cite studies showing high levels of violence against women in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, the three countries covered in their own study. These data are in line with the findings of the World Health Organization's Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence, which interviewed 24,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years in both urban and rural areas of 10 countries, including Bangladesh [3].