Taiwan is there?An Active participant For Battered Women care Grace Tsyr-En Wu Pastor of Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Director of Kaohsiung Christian Counseling Center, Taiwan. Joh-Jong Huang Department of Family Medicine, Yuan's General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Introduction Marital violence is now a common problem in Taiwan. Not long before one decade ago, the society of Taiwan began to pay attention to this intimate injury. With startlingly high-speed increasing numbers of marital violence each year, the helping professionals work with heavy loads in managing people with this kind of violence. As we know, marital violence is a problem of various combinations of biopsychosocial needs. Under the influence of culture, endemicity is another important factor contributing to the complexity of marital violence. In order to offer effective services to help people with marital violence, the aims of this study are to reveal the regional characteristics and experiences of marital violence in Taiwan. Methods and materials In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the record charts of the cases of marital violence via content analysis in Kaohsiung Christian Family Counseling Center in the period between March 1996 and February 1998. The parameters associated with the characters and demands of battered women were set up after the reviewing analysis of marital violence literature. The characters and demands of battered women were shown as frequencies in descriptive analysis. The relationships between major issues and the parameters were analyzed by Chi Square test with correction by Pearson's test or Fisher's exact test. And we used discriminate analysis to correlate the demands of battered women and associated variables. Results There were totally 427 battered women included in this study in this 2-year period. The peak age group of battered women was between 35 and 44 (190, 44.5% ); the second, between 25 and 34 (143,33.5%). The commonest vocation of battered women was homemaker (206, 48.2%). The education level of battered women distributed as: elementary school or lower, 30 (7.0%); junior high school, 82 (19.2%); senior high school, 175 (41.0%); college or higher, 139 (32.6%). The age of batterers was slightly older than battered women, with still peak age group between 35 and 44 (190, 44.5%). The commonest vocation of batterers was small business owner (143, 33.5%), labourers were the second (97, 22.7%). The education level of batterers is istributed as: elementary school or lower, 17 (4.0%); junior high school, 69 (16.2%); senior high school, 144 (33.7%); college or higher, 165 (38.7%). The length of arriage of the couples reporting violent incidents was less than one year, 7 (1.0%) 1 to 3 years, 38 (8.9%); 4 to 7 years, 82 (19.2%); 8 to 12 years, 81 (19.0%); 13 to 18 years, 97 (22.7%); longer than 18 years, 93 (21.8%). Most of the couples were of the nuclear family style, 287 (67.2%). There were 50 (11.7%) battered women who suffered violence in the premarital stage. 46 (10.8%) battered women were assaulted when pregnant. The violent incidents reported took place at the following stages of the marital relationship: less than one year, 177 (41.5%); 1 to 3 years, 78 (18.3%); 4 to 7 years, 59 (13.8%); longer than 7 years, 109 (25.5%). In 52 incidents (12.2%) children suffered violence at the same time. In 204 cases children witnessed the violence against the women. The types of violence were: physical assault, 337 (78.9%); verbal assault, 83 (19.7%); object assault, 26 (6.1%); psychological assault, 369 (86.4%); sexual assault, 54 (12.6%). Most of the battered women (234, 54.8%) treated their injuries privately, and some received medical care (64, 15.0%) or were admitted to hospital (25, 5.9%). (289)67.7% of battered women reported being assaulted during quarrels, but 39.3% (168) were assaulted without any warning sign. The causes of marital violence were rather heterogeneous: poor communication, 261 (61.1% ); having an affair, 161 (37.7%); financial problems, 97 (22.7%). Parenting problems, mental illness, unemployment, sexual difficulty, alcoholism, drug abuse and gambling were all cited as causes. The future plans of these battered women were: divorce, 177 (41.5%); improving marriage, 122 (28.0%); uncertainty, 86 (20.1%). The plans were of significant difference with frequency of marital violence: of divorce when the frequency was higher, and of improving marriage when the frequency was lower. The possibility of child abuse was of significant association with 1) the frequency of marital violence 2) children as witnesses 3) childhood abuse experience of the batterers. The demands of battered women were: psychological support, 359 (84.1%); psychological counseling, 288 (67.6%); marriage assessment, 263 (61.0%); legal counseling, 165 (38.4%); self-protection, 155 (36.3%). Shelter (13, 3.0%), economic support (25, 5.9%), medical care (22, 5.2%) and spiritual care (13, 3.0%) were all needed, though less common. The discriminate analysis of the demands revealed significant relationships between: 1) psychological support with having an affair and poor communication; 2) medical care with mental illness; 3) shelter with alcoholism, drug abuse or gambling; 4) legal counseling with alcoholism, drug abuse or gambling and having an affair; 5) self-protection with having an affair, poor communication, financial problems and the violent personality of batterers; 6) economic support with financial problem; 7) marriage assessment with having an affair, poor communication, financial problems and the violent personality of batterers; 8) psychological counseling with unemployment. The uses of resources by battered women were: medical community, 91 (21.3%); police, 10 (2.3%); legal aid, 29 (6.8%); official welfare institute, 21 (4.9%); Non-governmental welfare institute, this center, 427 (100%). Informal supportive resources were also used, 209 (48.9%). Discussion According to the results, there are monumental tasks for the helping professionals to supply enough comprehensive services for battered women. Victims of marital violence in Taiwan are similar to those in Western societies, with rather heterogeneous regional characteristics. Social workers alone cannot meet the multiple demands brought to them. Multidisciplinary team work should be set up for more efficient help. Marital violence may take place at any stage of the marriage, by any form, in any class in the community so that direct and convenient services should be available in the community. Transgenerational phenomena such as: childhood abuse experience of the batterers, frequent child abuse and experience of marital violence in the home all remind the helping professionals of the need of family-oriented services. The diversity demands can only be met via active programs of education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Conclusion Taiwan|s Christian Churches are active in social concern work from a whole person perspective. This includes concern for and intervention in the lives of battered women. This is not only a matter of Theological speculation, as it would be to seek somewhere in the stories of Jesus an incident of liberating a battered woman. The churches involved in ministry to battered women see Jesus in his general role of identification with the weak and oppressed. The power of Christ is actualized in opposition to evil and injustice. Naturally, this includes opposition to patriarchal systems which oppress women. Churches are now accepting the call to participate continually and vigorously in gender issues. These include the renewal of women; gender equality and reconciliation; and bringing pressure to bear for action rather than for "talk". It is hoped that in these ways Taiwan|s Churches can become agents of women's release from suffering. 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