We found in west-central Minnesota that is not the case. Kershner says health-care providers need to do a better job of looking for evidence of abuse. Eighty percent of women surveyed had never been asked by their doctor about abuse. Kershner says another disturbing finding was 35 percent of women had been abused before the age of 18, and those women were much more likely to be abused as adults. Rose Thelen says that finding shows domestic abuse is about more than a fight between a man and woman.
People are so concerned about kids and their violence.
Well, one of the root causes of kids and their violence is what dad is doing to mom in the home. She says domestic violence is a community issue. Children in abusive homes are more likely to be violent, use drugs, join gangs, and commit suicide. Still, she says, many people in rural and urban areas consider domestic violence a private family matter. It takes a whole state-load of men to stand up and do that, because they are the policymakers.