attacks his wife. The home, which ideally should be

attacks his wife. The home, which ideally should be a safe place, becomes a dangerous one, and a husband who should be a source of support becomes a source of fear.

There are many factors involved in why some husbands threaten or actually beat their wives. Some men find it difficult to cope with job pressures and family responsibilities and resort to taking it out on their wives. Other men who drink heavily tend to abuse their wives only when intoxicated. Still others were raised in families where wife abuse was considered normal behavior and they tend to carry on this harmful tradition. Whatever the reason, wife abuse is not acceptable behavior and a situation where a husband resorts to verbally or physically battering his wife points to a breakdown in family life and to a marriage in serious trouble.

For their part many women prolong this distructive behavior by doing nothing about it in the hope that the problem will go away. Like men, some women come from homes where their own mothers were subjected to abuse and therefore view it as a normal occurrence that a wife must endure. Others fear public exposure and go to great lengths to conceal the problem from family and friends.

Often the battered wife puts up with the battering because at the time of crisis there is no place she can go with children to get away from the husband. Frequently there is little money with which to move out even overnight, and some women do not wish to be a burden on their parents or other family members. Also, some wives fear their husbands’ retribution when they return home after leaving. As a result of these and similar factors we find confused, frightened women who feel they have no options and nowhere to turn for help.

Fortunately there is indeed help for these women in Rappahannock County. One way of seeking aid is to