Epilogue : recognising, responding and resisting violence : a critical challenge for nurses

Violence is a part of our everyday world. We each live with violence or the constant threat and fear of violence. Whether or not we like to admit it, violence affects our day-to-day lives. No-one is untouched by it--it influences our behaviour, shapes the way we live and threatens our very way of life (Walker 2006).There are many types and degrees of violence, and while some forms are obviously less traumatic than others, all violence is subversive to the social justice agenda that lies at the heart of our world and our profession. Violence erodes civil society. Even the rhetoric of violence permeates our social mores, transforming human beings into victims, potential victims and perpetrators.