Society tends to deny the problem and even to blame it on the victim, particularly in cases of sexual assault. Victims of violence and sexual assault experience both physical and psychological trauma. Men who batter consistently report that they witnessed their mothers being battered and received physical abuse themselves. Thus, violence is learned as a source of power in their first social group, the family. The media supports the culture of violence that children see in the home. Violence is a natural outcome of a patriarchal society, but sexism is a limitation that affects everyone and diminishes all humanity and that should be addressed. 21 references