FBI STATISTICS SHOW that a woman is beaten by a man every twelve seconds in the United States. Its studies estimate that one in two women will be assaulted by a male partner during her lifetime, and every six hours a woman is killed in an act of domestic violence.

Unless a woman dies at the hands of her abuser, it is likely that her abuse will go unreported. This is especially true when the abuser is her husband or boyfriend. Most physical abuse takes place behind closed doors, and fear and shame often keep battered women silent.

While statistics vary, there is no question that violence against women is a serious and widespread problem with a long history. Its roots are buried deep in a culture that for hundreds of years considered women inferior to men—and even as their property. Though equality of the sexes...