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Violence against Women: A literature
review commissioned by the National Group to Address
Violence Against Women
Executive summary
- Violence against women is widespread, and may
affect women of any age, class, race, religion,
sexuality, or ability. Factors which may increase
women's vulnerability to some types of violence include
age, disability, and poverty. Across all forms of
violence and abuse, women are most at risk from men
they know.
- Significant numbers of women experience more than
one type of violence. Prevalence surveys which address
violence against women in all its forms may yield more
information than 'single issue' surveys about the
meaning and impact of violence in women's lives. Few
studies have been designed specifically to record the
experiences of marginalised groups of women, including
black and minority ethnic women, women with
disabilities, lesbian women, women working in
prostitution and homeless women. Attempts to document
the experiences of marginalised groups of women must go
beyond merely ensuring their 'inclusion', numerically
speaking, in general population studies.
- Recurring themes in women's descriptions of male
violence include the use of tactics of control,
humiliation and degradation, the abdication of
responsibility by the male abuser, and the attribution
of blame to the woman. These are found regardless of
the woman's relationship to the perpetrator, and
regardless of whether the experience is a discrete
event or part of a pattern of abuse.
- Violence against women has a significant impact on
the health and socio-economic status of women. It
affects the health and wellbeing of children and young
people who witness violence against their mothers and
other women. The costs to society of responding to
violence against women, and the overall economic
impact, are significant and measurable. However, there
is a need for improved data collection systems across
all agencies involved in responding to women who have
experienced violence.
- Although there has been an increase in the number
and range of services available to women who have
experienced violence, there is relatively little
evaluative research. The available research suggests
that women value advocacy and support, and want service
providers to be more proactive in offering these.
Research into interventions tends to focus on discrete
aspects of violence against women, reflecting the way
in which women's experiences are compartmentalised by
service providers and policy makers. Although some
comparative research has been undertaken, no studies
were identified which evaluated interventions to
respond more broadly to women's experiences of
violence.
- Research on interventions with rape survivors is
primarily focussed on medico-legal responses, with some
literature on therapeutic interventions, but little on
interventions by primary care workers. Rape crisis
provision is still poor across Scotland, and there is a
lack of independent evaluation of the approach. There
is a similar lack of evaluation of sexual assault
referral centres (SARCs), although a forthcoming report
from the Home Office should address this.
- Much of the literature on women working in
prostitution is taken up with questions of definition
and agency, and in this, it reflects early debates
about how far women 'choose' to stay with violent
partners. There is also a significant body of
literature which considers crime management
interventions. There is little on interventions which
support women abused in prostitution, or assist them in
leaving.
- Research on interventions with adult survivors of
childhood sexual abuse is primarily found in the mental
health literature. Although some work has been carried
out which explores the links between childhood sexual
abuse and chronic physical health problems, no research
was identified which addressed how healthcare staff
should acknowledge this or respond to it. No research
into the criminal justice response to adult survivors
of childhood sexual abuse was identified.
- By comparison, research on interventions with
domestic abuse survivors cuts across several sectors,
including criminal justice, acute and primary care
health services, social work services and outreach and
advocacy services.
- The scarcity of research on interventions for black
and minority ethnic women, women with disabilities,
lesbian women, and older women affected by male
violence against women is perhaps a reflection of the
dearth of services for these groups.
- Research on violence against women cuts across
academic boundaries, and is found in several fields,
including law, social sciences and health. This is a
reflection of the diverse range of responses violence
against women demands. However, multidisciplinary
research is rare, and consequently opportunities for
'cross-fertilisation' are missed.
- Services for children and young people affected by
violence against women are still relatively scarce.
Although not addressed directly in this review, an
early trawl of the literature identified little
research on effective interventions. The existing body
of research focuses primarily on the impact of domestic
abuse on children and young people.
- It is acknowledged that the involvement of women
survivors of male violence in contributing to the
development and design of services increases
effectiveness and accountability. However, there are
still few examples of how this is achieved in
practice.
- In describing the acts of abuse perpetrated by
different men, at different points in their lives,
women survivors of male violence consistently make the
connection between child abuse, rape, domestic violence
and commercial sexual exploitation. There are
demonstrable links between different forms of violence
against women, in the nature of the violence, the
consequences of it, and the interventions required.
Whether or not these links are made visible in policy
and practice is to some extent governed by how far
violence against women is regarded as symptomatic of
wider gender inequalities in society, and how far
initiatives to tackle violence against women are
located within this context.
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