A Message from Glennah Trochet, MD
Sacramento County Public Health Officer

Domestic Violence is a disease of our society, where the health consequences are frequently seen in all healthcare settings. No one alone can deal with this problem, but together we may be able to decrease the incidence of this unacceptable behavior in our community.

There are no simple solutions for stopping family violence. Without some type of intervention, violent behavior usually will not stop. It tends to get more frequent and severe. The lifetime risk for a woman to be battered by an intimate partner appears to be 20-30%, that is the same percentage of women who are seen in a medical setting who may be victims of abuse. 1,500 women are murdered each year by current or past intimate partners. 

What can we do about this? We are describing a condition that is part of the very complicated world of human relationships. Victims frequently don’t report abuse, and may even deny it when it is discovered. Shame and silence are a prominent aspect of a victim’s response to being abused. Batterers have a wealth of excuses and frequently blame the victim. Intervention, if not done well, can escalate the violence and put the victim at risk of further harm or even death.

No one, not physicians or nurses, not law enforcement nor prosecutors, can stop this problem alone. Our entire community must work together to change social norms and to confront the issue honestly.