Battered Woman Syndrome: What is ‘Reasonable?’

Is an objective standard meaningless if the jury is not equipped to understand what is indeed reasonable behaviour for a woman who has experienced long-term battering?| Link

Distinction between Justification and Excuse

Battered Woman Syndrome, Expert Testimony, and the Distinction between Justification and Excuse; Schopp, Robert F.; Sturgis, Barbara J.; Sullivan, Megan 1994 U. Ill. L. Rev. 45 (1994) | Link

For elderly, stigma of domestic violence keeps it hidden

For elderly victims of domestic violence, physical, emotional and sexual abuse has often desecrated the relationship even before the couple married.

“Domestic violence can be present throughout a marriage of 40, 50, even 60 years, starting when the couple is dating, carrying on through the woman’s pregnancies and continuing even when they are elderly,” says Bonnie Brandl, a director with the Madison, Wis.-based National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (ncall.us). | Link

Domestic violence cases on rise as women become more willing to report abuse

SYDNEY — Reports of domestic violence incidents are rising each year in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and one police official believes it is largely due to a greater willingness by victims to report their abuse to the authorities. | Link

Study finds how child abuse changes the brain

In a study in the journal Current Biology, researchers used brain scans to explore the impact of physical abuse or domestic violence on children’s emotional development and found that exposure to it was linked to increased activity in two brain areas when children were shown pictures of angry faces. | Link to Reuters