Advancing the Federal Research Agenda on Violence Against Women

This report expands on the work of an earlier National Research Council panel whose report, Understanding Violence Against Women, was published in 1996.

The report is based on the presentations and deliberations of a workshop convened in January 2002, at the request of Congress, to develop a detailed research agenda on violence against women.

While some of the research recommendations in the earlier report have been funded and carried out, the workshop demonstrated that important gaps remain.

For example, prevalence and incidence data are still inadequate to measure trends or to reveal whether interventions being designed under federal programs are, in fact, working.

Among its primary recommendations, the committee underscored the importance of strengthening the data and research infrastructure in this area, especially the need for better prevalence data and longitudinal data to determine the causes of violent victimization of women and the impact of interventions. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 Nature and Scope of Violence Against Women3 Social Ecological Risks of Violence Against Women4 Prevention and Deterrence5 Identifying and Treating Offenders6 The Future of Research on Violence Against Women: Final ThoughtsReferencesAppendix A: Biographical SketchesAppendix B: Workshop AgendaAppendix C: Commissioned Papers