Every year, 1.3 million women are victims of domestic violence. One of them is my sister.

At 29, Sarah is two years older than me and on the surface we are nothing alike. She is short with thick curly hair. I'm tall with stick straight hair. I have glasses; she has what our mom calls "eagle eyes." Sarah and I were close growing up. When she was seven and I was five, she took our frog, Gilly, to a pet show. When it came time to stand in front of the judges and talk about Gilly, Sarah froze. I ran … Read More

As more details surface about Charlie Sheen's Christmas Day attack on wife Brooke Mueller, we're learning more about his history of violence against women as well as Brooke's terror during the attack. Here, five things you might not know about Charlie, Brooke, and what happened on Friday.

1. He pulled a knife

The 911 tape released today reveals that Brooke was terrified for her life when her husband pulled a four-inch knife on her. "My husband had me...with a knife, and I'm scared for my life, and he threatened me," she told the 911 operator. Brooke went on to … Read More

We may think we have it hard in the US dating scene but sisters, it could be way, way worse. Every year between 300,000 and 400,000 women are shipped to the United States as part of the sex trafficking trade. Some of these women are mail-order brides. According to Family Law Prof Blog "consumer husbands"—the industry term for men who spend thousands ordering wives through marriage brokers—are often abusive husbands to wives who have litle recourse. Shudder.

Lawmakers are stepping up to better protect these women. In 2005, Congress tried to fix the problem with the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, which … Read More

Blake Lively appeared on Saturday Night Live this weekend. And as pretty blonds go, she was stellar. (Hear that January Jones?) Ex Ashton Told January Jones To Quit Acting

She appeared as Cher, as a Staten Island Gossip Girl, and probably most talked-about, as Tiger Woods' wife, Elin. In the four-and-a-half-minute skit, she beats her husband up, runs him over with the car, and cracks a gold club over his head; each attack is spurred by the possibility that Tiger is cheating on her. Tiger Woods Admits He "Let Family Down"

No one would have thought anything … Read More

Fresh off her Glamour Woman of the Year honor, Rihanna has a new man friend. The 21-year-old singer entertained friends at her L.A. home over the weekend before heading to London for the next leg of her Rated R tour, and one of her guests was 90210 actor Tristan Wilds. "They were openly affectionate for everyone to see," a source told the New York Daily News. "He's a real gentleman. She likes him a lot, and it shows. From the moment he walked into her party, Rihanna lit up."

Rihanna has been linked to Read More

This week Rihanna spoke at length for the first time about the night in February when ex-boyfriend Chris Brown beat her so severely she had to cancel her performance at the Grammy Awards the next day. In interviews with Diane Sawyer and Glamour magazine, the pop star spoke about overcoming the shame of being in an abusive relationship, the humiliation of having a police photo of her injuries leaked to TMZ.com, channeling her anger into her new album, and being a role model to other women suffering at the hands of a loved one. Here, … Read More

For those ladies out there still buying the "it was just an accident" excuse from heavy-handed boyfriends or husbands, this new study serves as a another wake-up call.

According to a Science Daily report, researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel concluded that domestic violence between couples typically occurs as a calculated decision from the inflicting partner. He or she generally knows beforehand what sort of consequences there will be and weighs it before acting out.

"The violent partner might conceive his or her behavior as a 'loss of control', but the same individual, unsurprisingly, would not lose control … Read More

"It can happen to anyone..." said the 21-year-old singer on Good Morning America in her first TV interview addressing last February's beating at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

Skeptics who suggested that her speaking out was but for mere publicity and promotion of her new album should be silenced after watching. Heartbreakingly vulnerable, the pop star said that she waited until now to speak because she was ashamed:

It was embarrassing that I fell in love with that kind of person. So far in love."

There are a lot of women who experienced what I did, but not in the … Read More

There are dealbreakers and then there are dealbreakers—and a past history of domestic violence is a dealbreaker on a lot of people's list. Salon.com's advice columnist, Cary Tennis, fielded a question from a former abuser who's nervous about telling his new girlfriend he physically abused his ex-wife half a dozen times during their marriage. The Frisky: Helping A Friend Who's Being Hit

After divorcing, "Ex-Abuser," as he signed his letter, entered therapy and said it helped him "understand my reasons for the abuse, and the effect it had on both my wife and our relationship." Also after the divorce, … Read More

"Nobody stays married anymore. Everybody just takes the easy way out. Divorce isn't an option for me."

Becky heavily accented the "d" word as we made our way through the park on that beautiful summer day. I was stunned by her tone. I wanted to cry. It was bad enough that my pastor had urged me to stay in my marriage. Breaking my marriage vows had been the most difficult decision I had ever made. No one could really know what I had been through. I had been certain Becky would understand. She had seen me struggle and agonize over … Read More