Domestic violence against women--an international concern

Domestic violence is a pattern of assault and coercive behaviour including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, by a person against his/her own intimate partner. Women are more frequently the victims. After a global overview of the prevalence and nature of domestic violence against women especially in Mauritius, this articles provides a discussion about health problems and risk factors among the female victims with the objective of giving preventive measures to eradicate it from society. NGOs, along with legislative measures, have proven helpful in improving quality of life and preventing violence-related injuries among women. The health sector also plays an important role as part of multi-sector efforts in early detection and prevention of cases of domestic violence. Psychiatrists are in a unique position for early identification of such patients as well as intervention.