Research has established that women are more often at risk of violence from family members. Forms of violence include physical assault, rape, incest, and emotional abuse. Although this victimization has long existed, it has been hidden by family privacy, embarrassment, and, sometimes, traditional customs and culture. The United Nations began focusing attention on these issues in 1980, and many international meetings during the last decade have considered research and strategies for action. Problems hindering understanding of the problem are the lack of precision of existing studies, the limited research in Eastern Europe and developing countries, and disagreement about the definition of violence. Chapter reference lists and 266 references