From the Editors July 9, 2001 Issue

Partners in hope and in deeds

The Editors

From Bejing to Santiago , domestic violence affects spouses, children, and extended families. But there are signs of hope around the globe as community leaders, health professionals, and policy makers experiment with ways to prevent the violence, instead of just focusing on prosecution. Such efforts are bearing fruit, although much more work is needed.

In the United States, violence against women by intimate partners fell from 1.1 million reported incidents in 1993 to an estimated 876, 340 in 1998, according to the US Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. This is still a staggering number, but it represents a 21 percent drop. Outside the US, fledgling efforts at combating domestic violence are taking root in nations as diverse as Russia, India, Ireland, and South Africa.

But behind the statistics are the people. What's often overlooked in media reports on domestic violence is the courage, strength, resilience, intelligence, and spirituality that individuals in abusive situations—regardless of gender—possess and ultimately draw on as they strive to change their circumstances.

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