Police response to incidents of intimate partner violence can be critical. This volume investigates the elements in the institutional, legal and organizational context that are relevant for police response to incidents in the realm of the private sphere and whether there exists a relation with the reporting of such incidents by victims. Addressing this complex question requires insights from research, policy and practice and, as such, any conclusions will have implications for each of these fields. This volume addresses issues that are key elements in the relationship between the (legal) response to family violence and the reporting by victims. These issues concern societal and legal definitions of family violence employed in research, policy making and legal practice; how the legislation of various countries covers violence in the private sphere; the way the police deal with reported incidents of intimate partner violence; and the role that other interventions play in the response to and combat of family violence and intimate partner violence.

A call for safety and accountablilty.

This research investigates the advocacy discourse focussing on boys and men during the decade between 1990 and 2000, as reported in the Canadian and international press. The objective is to explain the dynamics of this discourse, using the school drop-out theme in order to identify other themes that authors link together: suicide, child custody, violence perpetrated by women, etc. It examines the structure and content of the masculinist discourse, on what and whom it relies, how it is communicated and what it proposes as solutions to the problems it denounces. The report contrasts this discourse with some existing factual data to demonstrate its biases and limitations. In conclusion, it examines the issues raised by the masculinist discourse and its impact on women and women's groups, and makes recommendations for public policy.