domestic violence

Domestic violence pre 1960

a rare occurrence perpetrated by deviant individuals. and a phenomenon belonging to the private sphere.

domestic violence post 1960

women movement brought the issue to the public attention, and reconstructed domestic violence as a pervasive social phenomenon.

Evolution of DV laws

ideas that are bound to culture, ideology and institutions.

pre 19th century -> DV was seen as needed and an aspect to marital obligation to chastise his wife.

post 19th century -> laws against DV are passed in Europe and America, but their application reflects a high tolerance of 'ordinary assaults'

Domestic violence as a cultural norm

the institution of the family that reinforces the hierarchical relationship between men and women. and perpetuates male authority through the socialization of children and to use DV to maintain patriarchal social order

Home as a violent setting

women most likely to be involved in violence in their home in particular, in a martial setting.

the majority of female murder victims die at the hands of a current or ex intimate partner

the gender parity debate

misconception that women are the majority of victims while men are perpetrators.

In some studies, there are sources that say men and women are equally violent 'bi - directional' .

Although, women are more likely to be severely injured, killed by partner, use violence in self defence, experience fear etc..

do violent acts equal abuse?

common couple violence vs. domestic violence (partner abuse, coercive control, battering).

surveys often fail to accurately identify domestic abuse which requires paying attention to the context of the relationship, dynamics of power, and harm experience by the victim.

The surveys do not measure the relationship as it is on going rather than being incident specific. There are also gender differences in the way men vs women respond to certain questions

Perpetrators narratives dont experience the violence in the same way

it shows how the conceptions of masculinity and femininity that support violence. It reveals the common tactics used to avoid accountability, and the danger of collusion in intervention and everyday life.

common tactics used by perpetrators

1. to justify and minimize the behaviour to themselves.

2. 2. palliative comparison (im not as worse as this person),

3. 3. displacement/diffusion of responsibility

4. 4. dehumanizing victim

5. 5. victim blaming

6. 6. selective forgetting.

These tactics draw on widespread ideas about gender - taken for granted norms in heterosexual relationships, dominant constructions about masculinity/femininity and sexist attitudes and beliefs

violence as incidents

perpetrators refer to specific incidents rather than the context of the relationship.

Victims are absent from perpetrators narratives and perpetrators commonly describe their violence as 'out of character'.

repudiations

denying using harm caused by violence.

"im not the violent type".

A lot of denial in the perpetrators narrative.

As well as distancing acts and intentions from consequences - "i didnt break it, the fall broke her jaw" and reduces credibility of victim

Quasi-Repudiations

minimizing their violence or saying that they dont really know what happened or had forgotten.

"things just went wrong", "i dont see slapping as being violent",

"i used to be a bit violent to my girlfriend".

or pushing the reason of violence onto the women

Reciprocity

to describe violence as mutual or framing the violence as okay because it was mutual.

Excuses and Justifications

perpetrators sometimes present themselves as the 'real' victim and their violence as the consequence of their partners behaviour.

Justifications were usually rooted in traditional gender roles.

domestic violence in same sex relationships and the anti-violence movement

during the movement in the 1970s, domestic violence in same sex relationships was a divisive issue.

there was fear bringing attention to womens violence, fear of losing support of conservative allies, fear of bringing stigma to the movement, homophobia within the movement and lack of data

Opposition to talking about same sex violence

also came from LGBTQ groups because of fear of bringing stigma on the community, other political priorities (civil rights), fear of increasing police interventions

Research on same sex domestic violence

the first book on lesbian Battering came out in 1986. And research about homosexual relationships emerged late 90s

Same sex DV - Prevalence and Patterns

LGB individuals are more likely to experience all forms of domestic violence than heterosexuals.

Prevalence is highest amongst bisexual women.

Research suggests lower rates of victimization amongst lesbians than gay men.

Some research shows gay men engage in more bi-directional violence

gender, power dynamics, and same sex DV

people have the assumption that same sex relationships have more equality but gender is still a main factor that has power potential that is influenced by social and ideological cultural frame works.

Factors - Income/social class, sexual experience, sexual identity, internalized homophobia, gender roles, race, religion, age

stigma, discrimination, and vulnerability to DV

societal discrimination is associated with higher levels of stress in relationships,

minority stressors are linked to both victimization and perpetration.

Risk factors for victimization - sexual minority stressors (internalized homophobia), HIV status, legal inequality, legal inequality to children

prevention of violence in same sex relationships

victims in same sex relationships might struggle to see themselves as victims.

prevention and treatment programs tend to rely on heterosexual frameworks, homophobia and stereotypes within the criminal justice system.

ex - police believing the more masculine presenting individual is the perpetrator

Institutional support after DV

in the aftermath of DV, victims/survivors must often interact with a wide range of state institutions.

most likely to interact with - shelters, victim services, courts, police, welfare agencies, citizenship and immigration, hospitals, housing services.

Medicalization of DV

the redefinition of social problems as medical concerns.

This is implemented through screening practices, replacement of feminist intervention with therapy and mandated psychological treatment

. ex - in therapeutic settings, women often learn to blame their partners’ abuse on their own “self-esteem” and “depression” in order to show that they can “overcome” such pathological states.

The paradox of legibility - main argument

the medicalization of institutions surrounding DV creates conditions under which women must prove survivor hood, performing psychological recovery to achieve institutional legibility.

to become a legitimate domestic violence survivor amidst institutions of aid, women must tell stories of psychological survival, even as those very stories erase the structural context of their victimization and their infrastructural labor surviving abuse. aka to show that they fit the idea of a victim

Institutional Legibility

the ability to be recognized as legitimate and worthy of resources within institutions.

other contexts - adoption agencies, disabilities

Performing survivor hood - creating a DV story

In order to be legible to state institutions, victims/survivors must craft a domestic violence story that fits with the expectations of the state.

The more coherent and convincing you are, to extract the DV portion of their story from their larger life stories and creating this story of psychological improvement and overcoming.

Performing survivor hood - psychological failings and recovery

victims and survivors are encouraged to focus on their own psychological failings, like their depression and low self esteem.

they also must also perform psychological recovery

Performing survivor hood - sexual and maternal responsibility

victims are often encouraged to blame themselves for their failures as bad partners and bad mothers.

gendered stereotypes about uncontrolled sexual desires and pathological homes. as women often believe they have participated with their abuser in creating a pathological homes.

As well as, after entering the system they are prohibited in engaging in heterosexual relationships because they are being monitored

How does the pressure to perform survivor hood contribute to reproducing inequalities amongst and victims?

its easier for women with more resources or who 'fit the bill' better than those who do not

Restorative justice

is the social movement that seeks to transform how communities respond to crimes.

RJ was influenced by movements in the 60s-70s like civil rights, womens movements.

RJ aims to foster dialogue/communications, repair harm, and meet the needs to victims, offenders and communities.

ex - victim/offender mediation, family/group conferencing, and peacemaking circles

victim/offender mediation

focused on dialogue, to share perspectives, to promote empathy. to gain responsibility of the harm, this communication addresses the emotional and informational needs of victims that are central to both the empowerment of the victims and the development of victim empathy in the offenders to help prevent criminal behaviour in the future.

family/group conferencing

wider meeting between victims, offenders, family members and supports under the guidance of coordinator.

goals are to hold offenders accountable, empower victims and reach an agreement.

Those supporting the victim can say how they were affected by the crime.

those helping offender can ensure that the agreement is carried out

peacemaking circles

used for addressing crime and other community problems. there are circles for healing, sentencing and circles open to the entire communtiy

Critiques of Restorative justice/Growth of Carceral state

it has disproportionate negative impacts on poor communities/ communities of colour.

increases incarceration rates for poor women and women of colour (specifically women with histories of abuse).

Criminal justice systems as patriarchal and racist institutions -> systems built to maintain existing social hierarchies

Critiques for criminal justice intervention in DV cases

most victims never contact police.

once CJS is involved, victims lose control over the process (as it transfers the control to the police rather than abuser) and keeping people safe requires widening the circle of responsibility.

CJS interventions -> inflexible, unresponsive, adversarial.

Increase in surveillance in lives of victims, increase risk of 'enforcement violence' and can lead to over policing.

Restorative Justice as a contested topic

the use of RJ and DV cases is highly controversial amongst feminists. as for fear of losing gains made by anti violence movement, and fear of sending the message that DV is not a serious issue.

Research on RJ and recidivism is mixed and not focused on DV (repeat offending) and RJ practices lack an understanding of the dynamics of DV.

advantages of RJ

getting more understanding into why the offender did that, to get over the fear when the offender gets out of prison, if it works for an victim it can be very helpful to let that anger go

disadvantages of RJ

increased risk to be re-victimized and exposes the victim to be manipulated again