View article

The following five contributions, collectively, offer an exploration of various facets of societal challenges and public health issues, highlighting the need for awareness, research, and targeted interventions. The five commentaries for this special section, address the hugely important frequently invisible and secret topic, of sexual, domestic and gender-based abuse. The World Health Organization identifies violence against women, in particular intimate partner, and sexual violence as a major public health problem (1). They estimate that globally 30% of women have been subjected to either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and can lead to femicide and increased risk of suicide (2). In her commentary on the topic of Technology-Facilitated Domestic Abuse (TFDA) Dr Lisa O’Rourke Scott underscores the dark side of increasing global technology use for facilitating domestic abuse. The prevalence of cyber violence and technology-facilitated sexual harassment reveals the urgency of addressing this emerging threat. The nature of TFDA allows abusers to exert control remotely, presenting unique challenges for victims and necessitating continual awareness and research. Jennifer Moran Stritch's commentary delves into the intersection of disenfranchised grief and domestic abuse, emphasizing the hidden impact of loss experienced by survivors. By recognizing the layers of secrecy in domestic abuse, Stritch advocates for professionals to acknowledge and address disenfranchised grief, contributing to a more …