Nowhere To Turn To

A disturbing new report reveals that domestic violence against women in Russia is presently at crisis level:

According to Amnesty International, 70 percent of married women in Russia have been subjected to physical, psychological, or sexual violence at home.

Official figures show that 9,000 women were killed by their husbands and relatives in Russia in 2003, out of a population of 143 million. Rights groups, however, say this figure could be much higher.

In comparison, rights groups say between 2,000 and 3,500 women die of domestic violence annually in the United States, a country of almost 300 million.