Mental Health Policy for Victims of Violence

Public policy-making, as it is reflected in legislation and laws, represents a reactive process, a formalization with the force of law, of the values, norms, attitudes, and beliefs of society which are prevalent at a given period of time. The women’s movement has focused our attention on this process. Discrimination against women in many areas of their social functioning has existed and we feel that it is now time to examine how this bias operates against women who are victims of crime and violence. The aftermath of such experiences often leads to the development of traumatic stress syndromes.