Domestic Violence Cross Cultural Perspective

Book excerpt: Domestic violence is a global phenomenon occurring among people of all races, ages, social economic status, educational and religious backgrounds. Family roles, values, customs and expectations are deeply rooted within a persons culture and religious traditions. As our society becomes increasingly multi-cultural, it is critical that we understand domestic violence within a cross-cultural context. Such an understanding will enable us to develop culturally appropriate interventions in addressing the issue of domestic violence in our communities. Many community and religious leaders are not familiar of the incidence of domestic violence among immigrant population and lack the knowledge of the effect of domestic violence on the victims, their children, the legal implications and the resources available for them. This book is written for health professionals, religious and community leaders in a simple language to make them familiar with some unique feature of people following different religions and cultures.