Unravelling the Threat of Violence

The problem of violence against women manifests itself in a terrifying array of forms throughout the world. The experience of violent intrusion - or the threat of such intrusion - is a common thread in the fabric of women's everyday lives in societies around the world.

As an international journal, one of the goals of Violence Against Women is to unravel that thread by shedding light not only on forms of violence that are already widely discussed but also on lesser known forms of violence, such as dowry murders, female circumcision enslavement for sex tourism, and rape as a weapon of war. Topics recently covered in the journal have included: Sexual Assault/ Coercion Domestic Violence Hate Crimes Corporate Violence Wife Rape Pornography Acquaintance Rape Lesbian Battery Female Sexual Abuse Sexual Harassment

Unity of Purpose
 Efforts to deal with the crisis of violence against women, in its many forms, have been fragmented by the boundaries of academic disciplines, professional allegiances, and increasingly, credentialism. Academics and clinicians are speaking to those most like themselves in relatively closed groups, not hearing the numerous voices that need to be heard if we are to develop a full understanding of the problem and a comprehensive strategy for addressing it. A primary goal of this journal, therefore, is to foster dialogue among those working in various fields and disciplines, as well as in agencies and other settings, and among those from diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnocultural and racial identity, sexual orientation, and experiences of victimisation/ survivorship.

To achieve that goal, contributions are featured from a variety of diverse perspectives, such as: Ethnic Studies Criminology Public Health Political Science Law Psychology Advocacy Public Policy Social Work Gender Studies Media Studies Medicine Sociology

Comprehensive Coverage
 Launched in March 1995, is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that focuses on gender-based violence against women in all forms and across cultural and national boundaries, publishing a wide range of articles, including:

• Empirical Research - Contributions from the cross section of disciplines studying violence against women, using both qualitative and quantitative methodology.
• Research Notes - Empirically based papers containing a clear statement of a research problem and presented in summary form.
• Activist/ Advocate Notes - A forum for activists and advocates to report efforts to fight violence against women world-wide.  
• Book Reviews - Insightful book reviews written by experts in the field.
• Survivor Articles/ Poetry - A shift from the realm of objective scientific research to the subjective experience of the abuse victim.
• Legal Notes - A forum for legal professionals and scholars to communicate current legal issues.
• Clinical Notes - Discussions of the latest developments in law, clinical practice, medicine, social work, and activism, and their implications for women victims of violence and those who work or do research with them.

ISI Essential Science IndicatorsSM Names VAW a Rising Star
According to a recent analysis of the ISI Essential Science IndicatorsSM Web product, Violence Against Women recently entered the top 50% of journals in the field of Social Sciences, with 335 papers cited a total of 858 times to date. Click here to read the interview with Editor Claire Renzetti, who talks about this journal’s citation record.