Addressing violence by female partners is vital to prevent or stop violence against women: evidence from the multisite batterer intervention evaluation

Abstract

This article presents a reanalysis of data from Gondolf's (2012) article in this journal on reoffending by men in the 15-month period subsequent to participation in batterer intervention programs. Gondolf concludes that violence by the female partners "was relatively low and does not appear to influence the program outcome in terms of men's reassault" (p. 10). The reanalyzed data lead to the opposite conclusion. The policy and practice implications are that the high rate of assault by women, including initiation of violence by female partners, needs to be addressed to enhance the effectiveness of programs to prevent and stop violence against women.

Keywords: assault; gender symmetry; partner violence; prevention; treatment.