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Civil Images Of Battered Women: The Impact Of Domestic Violence On Child Custody Decisions, Naomi R. Cahn

Vanderbilt Law Review

The purpose of child custody decisions is to develop an arrangement that is in the best interest of the child by awarding the child to one or both natural parents.' The critical factors in determining the child's best interest are those that have a direct impact on the child and the child's relationships. The question of which factors are most relevant to the child's best interest is unsettled,' and the answers that have been developed are "highly contingent social construction[s]." This Article examines one factor that is directly related to children's relation- ships and well-being, yet is rarely included in …