Violence against women is a common occurrence in the United States.  It can be physical, when someone physically harms a woman, or emotional, when she is verbally threatened or assaulted.  When a woman is raped, or forced to have sex against her will, she is being physically violated.  Under most laws, rape and other forms of sexual assaults result in a more serious punishment than other forms of physical violence.  Despite the fact that different forms of Violence Against Women have different implications and harm the woman in different ways, all are illegal and can be punished by law. 

While some women may feel that they have not been violated or may have caused the abuse themselves, they must understand that she has been abused and can hold the abuser accountable for the crime.  Sometimes women do not feel as if they have been abused because of who caused the abuse towards them, whether it is a parent, sibling, relative or someone who they are in a relationship with.  Although a woman may feel that she has not been abused because her relationship with the attacker, she still needs to realize that she has been abused and has the right to be protected under the law.