Available Data on Pregnant Victims of Violence Are Incomplete and Lack Comparability

There is no current national estimate of the prevalence of violence against  pregnant women. Estimates that are currently available cannot be  generalized or projected to all pregnant women. Multiple Strategies Designed to Prevent Violence, But Effect Is Unknown

Violence prevention strategies for both pregnant and nonpregnant women  include measures to prevent initial incidents of violence, such as educating  women about warning signs of abuse, and intervention activities that  identify and respond to violence after it has occurred. Violence Prevention Programs Use Health and Criminal Justice Strategies

Measures to prevent violence against pregnant women are similar to those  to prevent violence against all women. Criminal  justice strategies to prevent violence against women focus on  apprehending, sentencing, incarcerating, and rehabilitating batterers. In addition, limited information is available on the impact of  screening on women and their children.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Violence Against Women Act funds programs that shelter battered women, training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and research on violence against women. Available data on the number of pregnant women who are victims of violence are incomplete and lack comparability. There is no current national estimate of the prevalence of violence against pregnant women. Available estimates cannot be generalized to all pregnant women, and little information is available on the number of pregnant homicide victims.

What GAO Found

Health and criminal justice officials have designed multiple strategies to prevent violence against women, but their effect is unknown. Strategies to prevent violence against pregnant women are similar to those to prevent violence against all women and include public health efforts to prevent violence in the first place, intervention activities that identify and respond to violence after it occurs, and criminal justice strategies that focus on incarcerating or rehabilitating batterers.