( CNN ) -- The video of Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancee Janay Palmer unconscious and then dragging her body out of an elevator brought the topic of domestic violence to the nation 's attention . Unfortunately , the series of events in this case -- the initial abuse , then the victim-blaming , and the NFL 's response -- is not unique to the hyper-masculine culture of the NFL , but is a microcosm of what occurs in our society more broadly . I have seen this far too often in my work specializing in domestic violence law . What the nation saw in the video of Ray Rice 's abuse happens every day in America . In our country , one-in-three high school girls and women experience intimate partner violence , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . That is : one-third of our female population experiences untold physical , psychological , and developmental harm . Stated another way , domestic abuse occurs at rates higher than the combined number of automobile accidents , stranger rapes , and muggings that women experience . Janay Rice 's experience is not really sensational or extraordinary , it is ordinary . She has asked the public to leave her family alone , but we do n't have to talk about her to talk about domestic violence . Instead , we could talk about my client whose husband called 911 saying , `` I think I 've killed my wife . '' He was an elementary school teacher , not a professional athlete or celebrity , so there was no media coverage of the severe injuries he inflicted or the five-year jail sentence he received after nearly killing his wife . We could talk about another client whose boyfriend ( now husband ) burned her with a scalding hot iron , permanently scarring her arm , and later tried to run her over with his car . Or we could talk about my many clients who have been raped , beaten unconscious , and otherwise brutalized by their intimate partners . And this is only the physical abuse ; emotional and psychological abuse often inflict deeper harm . Nor is the NFL 's permissive , slow , and underwhelming response to domestic violence unusual in our country . Sadly , our society and legal systems have largely failed to prevent or respond to intimate partner violence . Historically , as long as a husband did n't kill or maim his wife , he would not be prosecuted . During the 1800s and 1900s , legal doctrine gave the husband the right of chastisement over his wife and immunity for marital rape . Laws against domestic violence are recent and it was n't until the mid-1990s that each state had protection order laws . Even with laws in place , police and prosecutors are frequently slow to act , and by the time an abuse survivor seeks police or court intervention , he or she has typically experienced repeated and severe abuse . The question of how to prevent abuse persists . To prevent domestic violence , we must grapple with the causes of violence and the societal forces that condone and perpetuate abuse . Gender inequality and masculine norms of dominance , toughness , and control chiefly contribute to the continuation of abuse . The other major factor is the intergenerational effect of domestic violence , with research showing that witnessing abuse between one 's parents is the strongest risk factor for transmitting abusive behavior across generations . I can respect that Janay Rice does not wish to be tokenized or become a national spokesperson . Let 's instead have a larger conversation about prevention and intervention in our domestic violence epidemic .
Jane Stoever : The abuse Janay Rice suffered not extraordinary in U.S . It 's painfully ordinary . 1 in 3 teen girls , women suffer partner violence . Stoever sees many grim cases in her law practice . Only since '90s have all states had protection order laws . Comment: Stoever : U.S. must grapple with causes : male domination , gender inequality , violence seen in home .