Violence against woman goes beyond all cultural, economic, political and religious backgrounds. The most dramatic form of violence against women is spousal abuse. Some studies have shown that in many countries, one quarter to more than half of women re port having been physically or psychological abused by their partners (Heise, 1994).

"In a study of 80 battered women in San José, Costa Rica, 49 per cent re ported being beaten during pregnancy. In Papau New Guinea, 67 per cent of rural women and 56 per cent of urban women have been victims of spousal abuse, according to a national survey conducted by the Papua New Guinea Law Reform Commission. In Bangladesh, the killing of women by their husbands account for 50 per cent ofíall murders." (The advancement of women: note speakers, UN publication. 1995)

One of the main contributing factor of violence against women is the differences between the genders due to the fact that many societies approve the "disciplining" of wives and usually ignore incidents of domestic violence.

In 1993, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It emphasizes violence against women as a violation of human rights and recommends strategies to be employed by member states and specialized agencies to eliminate it (The advancement of women: note speakers, UN publication. 1995). National states have been also taking responsibility to prevent and control violence against women in any way. In fact, some states have made someprogress regarding this matter:

For example, the Pakistani Government is currently establishing women- only police station, an experiment which has already met with success in Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Peru, where the re ports of crimes against women has increased. (The advancement of women: note speakers, UN publication. 1995)

However, establishing women only police station or women's desks on all police stations as in the Philippines, since 1993, is not enough. The Fourth World Conference of Women expects governments to take further measures that eliminate violence against women such as reviewing legislation, training and orientation to police, doctors and social workers, and supporting shelters that offer to secures women from abuse.

http://women3rdworld.about.com/newsissues/women3rdworld/library/