Violence against women in intimate relationshipsDomestic violence is conscious behavior in which acts of violence and aggression are committed by one person in a relationship to dominate the other . This violence consists of deliberate verbal, sexual, emotional, psychological and physical abuse, as well as social and economic deprivation. Statistics and studies show that victims of domestic violence are mainly women and their children, but men are also victims. Friends, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and even family members are capable of engaging in domestic violence. This widespread practice negatively affects gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. Violent and abusive relationships are often problematic for many women to escape, and it is sad to see that these women have to endure additional setbacks. including racial and class struggles. Specific issues that contribute to the difficulty of leaving an abusive partner include economic and financial instability, child care issues, language barriers, and lack of ethnically sensitive services. Girlfriends and wives who rely on their abusive partners' income have a harder time escaping violence because they have no money to support themselves. If the woman has a child with her partner, this poses an even more difficult situation because she will have to consider the child's needs. As a result, if the woman has no one else to turn to, she must stay and endure the abusive environment. Wen Lin and Imm Tan's essay "Holding Up More Than Half the Heavens" addresses the lack of multicultural and multilingual services for battered women in Pacific America and Asia. “In the United States, there are only two shelters for Asian-Pacific American women” (Wen Lin and Imm Tan, 464). Their essay highlights the question of who is welcomed into women's shelters and who is turned away. Women from different cultures who do not speak English are those who are deprived of shelter services, often “due to linguistic and cultural difficulties or simple racism” (Wen Lin and Imm Tan, 464). “The language barrier indeed excludes most refugee and immigrant women” (Wen Lin and Imm Tan, 464). Shelters are these women's last hope, and once they are denied help, they must once again return to violence in their homes. So that... middle of paper ... realize they have rights and there is a way out. Works Cited Anonima, Latina., “La Princesa”. Kesselman, McNair and Nancy Schneidwind, eds. Women: images and realities, a multicultural anthology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Fisher-Hertz, Lanette., “Countdown.” Kesselman, McNair and Nancy Schneidwind, eds. Women: images and realities, a multicultural anthology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Imm Tan, Cheng. and Margareta Wan Lin., “Holding Up More Than Half the Heavens.” Kesselman, McNair and Nancy Schneidwind, eds. Women: images and realities, a multicultural anthology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Jones, Ann., “Beating: Who Will Stop It?” Kesselman, McNair and Nancy Schneidwind eds. Women: images and realities, a multicultural anthology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Kesselman, McNair, and Nancy Schneidwind, eds. Women: images and realities, a multicultural anthology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Martin, Del., “A Letter from a Battered Woman.” Kesselman, McNair and Nancy Schneidwind, eds. Women: Images and realities, an anthology, 2003.