Evidence shows that domestic violence is a serious problem. FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that 25 percent of all murders are intrafamilial. While both husbands and wives may be aggressors, the wives, because of physical disadvantages, are most often the victims of serious injury. In many cases child abuse also leads to tragic results. However, there is a high degree of acceptance of family violence in American society and an unwillingness to uncover the serious incidents of physical abuse occurring in many homes. Victims often hide the fact that they are being abused, for reasons ranging from fear of reprisals to lack of appropriate response on the part of the traditional helping community. Wife beating has often been linked to alcoholism. However, violence is not an isolated phenomenon, affecting only one victim in a family, and caused by only one factor. The 'battering family' is frequently encountered by counselors who report that a husband who beats his wife is often a battering father, and the abused wife may also be a child abuser. Treatment programs are fragmented, because reported cases of child abuse are channeled to the protective services system, while most reported marital disputes fall within the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. The most effective response to the immediate needs of battered women has been the development of hotlines and emergency shelters, run by women who were themselves abused. In the long run, staffs of social services agencies and mental health providers have to be trained to recognize such symptoms of family violence as problem drinking, repeated job loss, unwanted pregnancy at a young age, poor use of medical care, and birth complications. Comprehensive care for the whole family and treatment of underlying causes of violence are needed. Thirty-four references are included.