Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA - Panel at the 2010 NIJ Conference

The three panel presentations discuss the progress that has been made in research on domestic violence since the passage of VAWA, as well as the research that remains to be done. One presentation notes that research on all forms of domestic violence has grown exponentially, such that a body of literature exists as a foundation upon which researchers continue to build. A major contributor to this growth has been the funding provided by the Violence and Victimization Research Division of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). This first presentation examines the strengths and weaknesses of this compendium of research since 1993, noting the research gaps that need to be filled. The second presentation discusses an issue that has divided researchers on domestic violence, i.e., whether to focus on samples of women victims only, male victims only, or mixed gender samples. The presenter argues that there is no perfect dataset that can answer all the questions. Each study will have its limitations according to the nature of the sample studied and the type of domestic violence being examined. The third panel presentation reviews the history of domestic-violence research, with attention to the work of pioneer researchers in the field and how the field has evolved.