The role of nursing in preventing violence against women

Violence against women is a significant problem at every age. While nurses have increased their role in identifying and managing cases of women who have experienced physical and sexual abuse, they have been less active in preventing violence. Effective prevention requires an understanding of the prevalence and seriousness of the problem, awareness of the societal forces that foster and sustain it, and application of feminist principles to counteract those forces. The incidence of rape and battery in contemporary society is highlighted, and the societal forces of devaluation of women, power inequity, and treatment of women as property that maintain this destructive behavior are outlined. Preventive nursing actions derived from feminist philosophy that are applicable in clinical practice are discussed.