The Violence Against Women Act within the Senate's Omnibus Crime Bill is an important legislative step, but unlikely to greatly change the root causes of the problem. Violence is a societal "dysfunction" resulting from society's members' lack of skill to resolve conflicts and provide mutual support.

Prevention, rather than the threat of retribution, is the key to decreasing violence. As a first step, the fact that there IS a problem has to be acknowledged. Secondly, in the United States, an awareness has to be developed just how common and accepted violent behavior is in comparison with other cultures. To overcome American society's lack of both cohesion and control -- both conflict-minimizing factors -- the skill of negotiation has to be taught to Americans, beginning in childhood. The role models presented to children need to be individuals who use intellectual and emotional skills to solve problems, not -- as most "heroes" from cartoon characters to movie actors now do -- violence.