Violence against women in North AmericaFour million women are victims of domestic violence each year in the United States. The reason this number continues to rise is because the country does not consider this problem a serious crime. This problem is now considered a benign problem in our society even though it affects many of our communities. A program implemented in the country a few years ago is called Abuse Prevention. It is offered in a non-sponsored manner by the Centraide agency. They have access to newspapers and television news programs, where they provide statistics and information about what women in the community are experiencing today. This program constitutes a step in the prevention of violence against women. It seems the first way to solve the problem is to expose it. The media is a way to let people around the world know what is really happening on our streets. Also in this program they have a treatment process used on families with violence problems to prevent them from getting worse. Couples attend a weekly session of one hour and fifteen minutes during which they go through three phases. (1) Assessment and diagnosis (2) linking prevention efforts to presenting problems (3) treatment by facilitating differentiation. (Page 4 Perez, Philip)During the assessment and diagnosis, couples go through individual interviews during which they fill out forms and are provided with cards that inform them about what violence against a partner really is. The interview is considered an essential part of the process because it allows the therapist to better understand where the violence may lead or the risk of it escalating. "Couples are informed about what domestic violence actually is, which is a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical violence, sexual assault... middle of paper.. ....Search First. EBSCO. Internet. March 12, 2014 “DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.” Georgetown Journal of Gender and Law 10.2 (2009): 369-431. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. Internet. March 13, 2014.Eigenberg M. Helen. “American Battered Woman: Until Death Do Us Part” Waveland Pr Inc (October 19, 2000) Perez, Philip J. and Kip Rasmussen. “An ounce of prevention: a model for working with couples at risk of violence.” Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal 19.2 (1997): 229. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Internet. March 12, 2014 Vogt, Tertia and Abraham P. Greeff. “The impact of an interim protection order (Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998) on victims of domestic violence.” Families in Society 91.1 (2010): 45-51. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. Internet. March 3, 2014. http://vaw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/346 “Violence against women” Web March 13.2014.