Te Awatea Review 3(2) December 2005 : 9-10

This article is a summary of a seminar presented by the author at Te Awatea Violence Research Centre. The article is written in two parts. The first section addresses the question of whether women are as violent as men. The author discusses how many studies have shown this to be true. However, these studies often use the Conflict Tactics Scale or like measures. The author highlights the deficiencies in using such as scale as an accurate measurement of violence. For example, the Conflict Tactics Scale fails to examine the context, impact or meaning of the violence; and it does not ask questions about sexual violence. The author argues the importance of recognising the element of fear in men's violence towards women, noting a distinction between 'violence' and 'battering'. In the second section of the article, the author purports that improving the coordination of social services leads to greater effectiveness when protecting the safety and autonomy of women. Efficient collaboration also means that violent offenders are held accountable for their actions. The article concludes with a list of suggestions for effective collaboration.