(Note from Anne: I have chosen images by the prolific Japanese artist Nobuyoshi Araki to feature with Dr. Johnson’s post. Araki is very strong in fashion and culture, being recently featured at NOWNESS for his holiday 2010 work at Barneys. There is nothing accusatory in my using these images in conjunction with an essay on BDSM. The vast majority of images that Carla describes can’t be exposed on AOC. They are too graphic and degrading for our readers. In his own words, Araki is very interested in rope bondage. These images are from The Old Photo Album, a general interest photo blog.)

Note: Images are provocative and involve nudity

Guest writer Dr. Carla Johnson

Floggings continue as reported by Anne of Carversville, and women are sentenced to be stoned as well as victimized by brutal domestic violence around the world.  While such acts are illegal in the United States, they remain surrounded by such webs of fear that a domestic crime puts a woman’s life at risk, usually greatest after she has left the abuser. 

Statistics on domestic violence in the United States tell us that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and about 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.  Historically, females are most often victimized by someone they know.