Violence against girls and women : international perspectives /

Gendered violence against women and girls is a major international public health and human rights issue. Understanding and remedying it requires a multidisciplinary and coordinated response from community stakeholders and advocates. The contributors to this volume posit that institutional and social policy needs to protect the rights of females and change historical and cultural norms. The essays examine the history and cultural context of sexual violence and aggression against females--from female genital mutilation, trafficking, and cyber bullying to physical abuse. Volume 1 addresses how gender roles and female status in society shape violence against younger females. Such violence impacts psychological, physiological, and sexual health, quality of life, and education and work. Volume 2 explores violence against young adult, midlife, and older women: sexual harassment, heterosexual and homosexual violence, sexual violence in war and at work, sex trafficking, and pornography. The contributors encourage readers to reflect on the resilience and suffering of the survivor victims, and offer practical suggestions for changing policy and practices concerning violence against girls and women. Case vignettes offer poignant illustrations. This book adds an international perspective that was absent in earlier works, for example, Violence against Women and Children, ed. by Jacquelyn White, Mary Koss, and Alan Kazdin (CH, Aug'11, 48-7219). Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. S. M. Valente University of California, Los Angeles