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Violence against Women: A literature
review commissioned by the National Group to Address
Violence Against Women
6. Recommendations
Women make connections between the different forms of
violence they have experienced. They also make connections
between the violence they experience and the way they are
treated in other areas of their life. Most of the policy,
research and practice reviewed takes a more
compartmentalised approach, dealing with discrete aspects
of violence against women. Promotion of an integrated
response to violence against women should be considered as
a priority.
Working on this review has provided a timely reminder
that, although there is much still to be done, a lot has
changed in the last 30 years. It has also been telling to
note that, although there is a lot of good work happening
in Scotland, it is largely undocumented. Some of this is
undoubtedly tied to under-resourcing, some of it to the
undeniable need to focus on the provision of the service.
Building the capacity of frontline organisations to
document the work being done would not only be useful for
literature reviewers. Sharing examples of good practice
would also save some duplication of effort - how many local
partnerships have spent time working out the best way to
produce and disseminate information resources for
women?
The lack of evaluative research has been a theme
throughout this review. There are many interventions, but
not many assessments of how effective they are. Although
no-one disputes the need for service developments to be
evaluated, in practice evaluation tends to be done
in-house, with a focus on process rather than outcome. Few
services have the resources to commission independent
evaluation.
Increasing collaboration between researchers,
practitioners and policy makers might go some way to
ensuring that services remain effective and responsive, and
that research on violence against women is beneficial to
service users and service providers. The 'Alliance of Five
Research Centres on Violence' has provided a valuable focus
for the development of research on violence against women
in Canada, and this model would bear exploration to see how
it could be developed in a Scottish context. The Centre for
Research on Families and Relationships has gone some way
down this route, and the proposed Scottish Centre for
Criminal Justice Research will make use of a 'virtual
department' model to improve the co-ordination and
development of research on justice issues in Scotland. Both
of these initiatives promote closer working links between
academic researchers, policy makers and
practitioners/service providers.
Supporting any research programme or service development
programme, there is a need to address the collection and
collation of data in relation to all forms of violence
against women. In order to assess the effectiveness of any
work we undertake to improve the situation of a particular
group in the population, it is necessary that we are first
of all able to 'see' that group in official statistics.
Some of the issues which seem specific to violence against
women are in fact cross cutting. Gender disaggregation
would help to provide the baseline statistics which are
crucial to evaluating the work being undertaken to
challenge violence against women, but would also support
more general work undertaken to reduce inequality. Concerns
about data sharing and data protection are common across
all areas of work which involve an interagency response,
including homelessness, child protection and substance
misuse. Sharing best practice in data collection across
sectors might have other benefits, given the links between
violence against women and, for example, homelessness.
In relation to service provision, the development of the
National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse, backed by the
establishment of the Domestic Abuse Service Development
Fund (DASDF), has ensured that the "patchy and
inconsistent" services identified in the Henderson report
of 1997 are beginning to be more consistent and a little
less piecemeal. The role of the DASDF in supporting the
work of local domestic abuse partnerships should not be
underestimated. Alongside this, there has been an
unprecedented development of refuge provision, and the
national helpline has increased its hours year on year
since its inception. Awareness of the prevalence and
effects of domestic abuse is increasing in all public
sector agencies, and most local partnerships have already
begun to develop local training strategies. Work is also
underway to improve criminal and civil justice system
responses to domestic abuse, and to increase legal
protection for women and children.
Across the other aspects of violence against women, the
picture is still somewhat "patchy and inconsistent". The
recent allocations of funding by the Scottish Executive
will go some way towards improving service provision,
particularly in relation to rape and sexual assault.
However, there is a need to develop more stable and
consistent approaches to funding services which respond to
all forms of violence against women, nationally and
locally.
The development of a funding strategy should be located
within a broader strategic framework on violence against
women. The National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in
Scotland is due for review. The basic principles of the
current strategy are applicable across all forms of
violence against women. It would seem an appropriate
opportunity to expand the terms of reference of the
strategy and incorporate broader aspects of violence
against women. Specific work would seem to be indicated in
relation to sexual violence.
Broadening the strategic framework on violence against
women might include consideration of the types of services
on offer to women, and how to ensure that they reflect what
women are looking for from services. Research has
indicated, for example, that women value a more proactive
approach to follow-up support and advocacy. A review of the
mechanics of multiagency partnerships might also be worth
some consideration. Some of the themes identified by Dutton
and Cavanagh in relation to multiagency responses to sexual
violence would bear further exploration, as more
partnerships begin to develop in response to sexual
violence.
Many women disclose in the first instance to people they
know - family, friends, workmates - and so more attention
should be paid to the development of information and
support for the general public. Providing information and
support through workplace campaigns, awareness raising
programmes in schools and general public education
campaigns could greatly enhance the level and quality of
informal support available to women from those closest to
them.
There are significant gaps in the research literature.
Research which addresses the experiences and needs of black
and minority ethnic women experiencing violence is scarce,
perhaps reflecting the dearth of services for this group of
women. There is a similar lack of understanding of the
needs of women with disabilities and of lesbian women.
There is little assessment of effective interventions for
children and young people who have experienced violence
themselves, or who have witnessed violence against women.
Dedicated literature reviews may be required in each of
these areas.
Finally, but most importantly, the views of women
themselves should be sought. There is an absence of
consultative mechanisms which enable women to input
directly to the development of services which might meet
their needs. This is a gap which should be filled as a
priority before very much more work is developed.
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