Search Results (9)

Even though South Africa is a signatory to international declarations that aim to eliminate violence against women, intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant problem. While many women eventually leave IPV relationships after enduring violence for a long period, the matter of why women leave IPV relationships is not adequately researched in South Africa. This study explored the turning points that trigger the decision to leave IPV relationships and examined the process of leaving in a sample of women who left their abusive partners. In-depth interviews with 11 women living in shelters of safety for women in Gauteng Province, South Africa, were analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis method. Leaving IPV relationships was a complex process that involved multiple decisions and actions over time; thus, most women endured many years of abuse. Leaving was triggered by various turning points, resulting in the leaving process being either planned or unplanned. For some of the women, the turning point was a specific violent event, while, for others, it was a culmination of violent events. Severe or escalating violence and the desire to protect their children from the impact of violence were key turning points for most of the women, such that they feared for their lives and that of their children. Overall, turning points played a crucial role in the decisions to leave abusive partners, and the leaving process for women was characterized to a great extent by fear. Understanding the complexities of the process of leaving and the relevance of turning points is essential to informing the development of appropriate interventions to respond more appropriately to women experiencing IPV. Full article

Despite South Africa having interventions to address intimate partner violence (IPV) and offer women places of safety, they stay for long periods in IPV relationships. However, research on this topic is limited. Therefore, we examined the reasons why women stay for long periods of time in IPV relationships in a sample of women who were living in shelters for abused women in Gauteng Province, South Africa, and explored their experiences during the stay in IPV relationships. We used a descriptive phenomenological research approach and recruited and conducted in-depth interviews with 11 women who had left IPV relationships. The data were analysed using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis method. Although women experienced a myriad of violent acts, physical violence was the most prevalent form of violence. Leaving the IPV relationship was not easy, as it involved an array of decision-making marked by a continuum of events. Various concerns kept most women trapped. They struggled with guilt and fear, emotional investment, love for the partner, fear of provoking more anger, and the hope that the partner will change. Hoping that the partner would change, having nowhere to go, and financial dependency were compounding factors that led to the feeling of being trapped in the relationship. However, having nowhere to go was the foremost factor that delayed women from leaving. Interventions to mitigate IPV should focus on understanding why women remain in abusive relationships for a long time to inform the design and development of effective interventions. Full article

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic brought myriad challenges and disruptions to societies worldwide. The impact of the pandemic on immigrant women living in Canada and who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) was very concerning during lockdowns specifically. As Canada implemented social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the virus, immigrant women—already at a heightened risk of IPV due to factors such as language barriers and immigration status—faced an increased likelihood of being trapped in abusive situations, with limited access to essential support services such as shelters, counseling centers, and legal aid. This narrative review aims to illuminate the experiences of IPV including the challenges and strategies used to cope during the pandemic among immigrant women. While this narrative review aims to obtain an extensive understanding of the IPV experiences among immigrant women during the pandemic, it also highlights the need for developing culturally sensitive interventions to address IPV challenges for immigrant women in similar contexts. A search was undertaken of multiple databases: Medline, CINHAL, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO. To identify studies related to IPV and COVID-19, various search terms were used including “abused women”, “COVID-19”, and “IPV” and their synonyms. This review employs the social–ecological model and intersectionality to illuminate the IPV experiences of immigrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four themes emerged from this study including the realities of COVID-19 restrictions; IPV vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impacts of IPV and the COVID-19 pandemic; and the strategies for addressing IPV (women and system perspectives). We draw on past research and the knowledge of our multidisciplinary team of researchers to recommend culturally sensitive resources and health services for abused women living in Canada as well as highlight effective intervention strategies to address the varied and complex needs of these women. Full article

Background: The intersections between intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse and neglect (CAN) have received growing attention from the research community. However, there is limited research examining the risk factors for CAN among children of battered women who have experienced severe IPV and seek refuge in shelters. Objective: In the current study, we examined the co-occurrence of IPV and CAN and the risk factors for CAN in a sample of battered women. Participants and Setting: We recruited 260 battered women who were staying in women’s shelters in Hong Kong. Methods: We analyzed the data collected from the risk assessment reports of battered women and focused on IPV against women, CAN, and risk assessment. Results: Nearly half of the battered women had reported both IPV against themselves and CAN against their children. These women were, in general, younger, unemployed, and had been living in Hong Kong for less than seven years as new immigrants. Other risk factors for CAN in violent families included women’s conflicts with their partner and abusers with higher levels of stress and approval of violence. Conclusions: This exploratory study of risk factors for the co-occurrence of IPV and CAN advances our understanding of the causes of violence against women and children in families with violence. Our findings suggest that additional integrated services should be offered to both battered women and their children during their stay in shelters and after shelter departure. Addressing IPV and CAN and reducing adverse consequences needs greater collaboration among the various stakeholders across the social services, health, educational, and legal sectors. Full article

When a woman seeks emergency shelter from an abusive relationship, she may bring her children but rarely companion animals. Through a Critical Animal Studies (CAS) lens, this article qualitatively analyzes in-depth interviews with shelter workers in Ontario, Canada, exploring the place of multispecies families in intimate partner violence (IPV) shelters. The findings indicate that companion animals are viewed as problematic, as obstacles to their clients’ safe relocation, falling outside the scope of IPV shelters (who rarely take a co-sheltering approach), and as potential strains on an already resource-stretched social institution. Addressing a gap in the literature about the effects of companion animal policies in social housing on clients and staff, the results are relevant to social service providers and policymakers working with multispecies families, including insights about women and children’s reactions to separation from companion animals, contradictions in related policies, and institutional priorities. The article concludes that multispecies families are poorly accounted for in the IPV shelter system and suggests that researchers and shelters should collaborate with their communities to advocate for resources and policies that accommodate families with companion animals. Full article

Finding fulfillment of basic psychological needs may be difficult for parents living in shelters after becoming homeless or after escaping violence. This study tested if experiencing nature was associated with the basic psychological needs of parents in shelters. Need satisfaction and need frustration were measured among parents in shelters (N = 160), with one measurement in the standard indoor context of the shelter and one measurement while experiencing nature. Experiencing nature was associated with enhanced need satisfaction (d = 0.28) and reduced need frustration (d = −0.24). The effect was especially pronounced for parents with young children. Our findings suggest that the physical environment matters for parents’ basic psychological need fulfillment as they interact with their children in the context of sheltering. This finding opens a potential avenue for supporting parental functioning and resilience in the face of risk if these effects were to be replicated across settings using controlled experimental designs. At the very least, the findings may be discussed with practitioners and parents in the context of making shelter life and work more conducive to mental health and family functioning. Full article

This qualitative research is the second part of a quantitative research that aims at recording the phenomenon of violence in pregnancy. The first part was carried out during August and September 2009 (N = 546). It was found out that the rate partner’s violence was 6%, while for 3.4% of the pregnant women, abuse started after the pregnancy. In the second part of this research, the semi-structured interview was used to investigate the way pregnant women experience violence. The sample comprised seven women abused by their partner (Ν = 7) at the women’s shelters of “Mitera” Babies’ Center and the National Social Solidarity Center between September 2010 and December 2011 and who accepted to participate in the research. The targets of the research were the investigation of the risk factors for the manifestation of violence, the profile of the victim and the perpetrator, the consequences of abuse for the woman, her reproductive health and the fetus. The majority of the abused pregnant women were foreigners and only two were Greek. The latter had experienced severe traumas (physical and psychological) since their childhood. Violence in their lives is the main characteristic of the foreign women seeking a better life in Greece, too. Alcohol use or abuse by the partners, poor socioeconomic background of the mothers and their partners, and pregnancy per se are the main risk factors of the violence against women in this period of their lives. Violence resulted in miscarriage in one case, while abortion was the alternative chosen by another as a solution to social exclusion and possible domestic violence. Anxiety and despair were the main psychological consequences. The small number of women included in the collection of qualitative data is a limitation for the research and decreases the reliability index of its results. Full article

Background: Data on Roma women’s experience of violence from their male partners are very scarce. We explored the process of actual domestic violence against Roma women, the threat of violence and its health consequences. We further focused on barriers in the availability of specialized support services aimed at eliminating domestic violence. Methods: The sample included 20 Roma women living throughout Slovakia: scattered among the majority (45.0%), in crisis centers and sheltered houses (40.0%), and in segregated Roma settlements (15.0%). Data were obtained through qualitative research by means of semi-structured interviews in 20 individual case studies. All 20 women had experienced a combination of violence: physical, psychological and economic, all of them connected with social isolation. Results: Prevailing gender stereotypes are a precondition of domestic violence against women, regardless of their status. Violence against Roma women resulted in several health consequences, and all of the 20 women suffered from these. Most of them reported general psychological problems (75%), among which anxiety and depression (25%), headache (25%), weight loss (10%) and health problems connected with motor activity (5%). The barriers include lack of awareness among Roma women of any specialised support services and the absence of such services for abused women in the region. Conclusions: Domestic violence results in serious psychological and physical health consequences. Violence elimination is generally set up without a specific ethnic or gender approach. Disregard of these specifics can lead to deepening of the uneven position of Roma women within the family, community and society, and the acceptance of violence against Roma women. Full article

Background: Homelessness among women and the multiple vulnerabilities they endure (sexual exploitation/human trafficking, violence, and mental health issues) is a perpetually unresolved issue in the U.S. and globally. Methods: This study is based on qualitative in-depth interviews accompanied by brief socio-demographic surveys conducted among 32 total participants, consisting of cisgender females (n = 17) and cisgender males (n = 15) experiencing homelessness at a large public library. Results: Of the women, 35% were White, 35% Latina, 18% African American/Black, and 18% LGBT. Half of all participants said in qualitative interviews that they witnessed violence against women, and/or experienced unwanted harassment/sexual exploitation; one in three described suspected human trafficking. Of the women interviewed, half struggled with mental health symptoms, feelings of hopelessness, and nearly all reported isolation; approximately one-third had substance use issues. Many described an inadequate number of emergency and long-term shelters Available for women facing homelessness; many had to wait or saw other women waiting to get into shelters and faced abuse on the streets in the meantime. Conclusion: The emergent themes showed that women face a “cycle of perpetual vulnerability” with three relational pathways: iterated trauma from chronic abuse/violence inflicted on them, a state of paralysis due to inadequate availability of supportive services, shelters, and mental health resources to cover all women living on the streets, leaving women susceptible to being a target phenotype for predators. Full article