Karla Giraldo's face required about 40 stitches after an incident with her boyfriend, a New York state senator. The wife of New York TV personality Dominic Carter had a swollen lip, cut ear, and bruised body after they argued over care for their child.

In both cases, the women testified in court that their partners were not guilty.

Giraldo said it was an accident after initially telling doctors her boyfriend did it on purpose, according to testimony. Carter's wife, Marilyn, said it wasn't her husband, as she claimed on a 911 call, but rather a day laborer who hit her.

Their stories are not uncommon. Experts say most victims usually recant after reporting their partners committed the abuse. As a result, the majority of domestic violence cases nationwide are prosecuted without the victim's consent or participation.

Victims, who are nearly all women, are not required to "press charges" against their alleged abusers. Law enforcement officials make the decision based on circumstance, but they face legal hurdles when the victim won't testify.

To deal with such an idiosyncratic crime, prosecutors have devised other ways to handle cases. As a result, so-called family justice centers are cropping up around the country, one-stop shopping for victims of domestic violence where they can find social, economic and legal support.

In New York City, Scott Kessler runs the Queens center that prosecutes about 6,000 cases a year, more notably the trial of State Sen. Hiram Monserrate, accused of slashing Giraldo's face in a jealous rage. Kessler argued Karla Giraldo initially told medical personnel it wasn't an accident, and then changed her story when she discovered he'd be arrested. Monserrate was acquitted of the more serious charges but convicted of a lesser charge for dragging Giraldo out the foyer of his apartment in a violent scene caught on video.

Giraldo was called as a witness, where she argued it was an accident and the district attorney's office was out to get Monserrate. It's nothing new for Kessler.

"When you stand up on a domestic violence case, you pretty much stand alone," he said. On his turf, the most diverse county in the country, there are many patriarchal systems, and often times the victim's family won't encourage the victim to participate.

Kessler said because he knows women generally won't participate he employs evidence-based prosecution, like photos of the injuries taken by cameras stationed at police precincts, 911 calls delivered electronically to their office and domestic violence incident reports taken by police that use checklists to determine the woman's state.