About half of the women in the United States and Canada have been physically or sexually assaulted after the age of 16. The figures in other countries are similar. Written by an outsider (an anthropologist) and an insider (a spousal abuse survivor), this book offers a humanistic, rather than statistical, overview of the problem of spousal abuse. It is based on an extensive set of interviews with abused women and individuals who seek to help them (shelter workers, police officers, marriage counselors). More particularly, it follows four women as they move through the steps they must follow to extricate themselves from an abusive relationship and then get on with their lives. The reader witnesses their success and failures as they face a task that is both necessary and daunting, and the effects that spousal abuse (and at attempts stopping the abuse) have on an ever-widening circle of people. This book illustrates how society in general and individuals and organizations in particular help and hinder the process of extrication - often at the same time. By analyzing the solutions, and their implications, that have been offered to and by the abused women, the authors arrive at a set of alternative solutions that could significantly reduce the incidence of spouse abuse in the future.

Decade after decade, violence against women has gained more attention from scholars, policy makers, and the general public. Social scientists in particular have contributed significant empirical and theoretical understandings to this issue. Strikingly, scant attention has focused on the victimization of women who want to leave their hostile partners. This groundbreaking work challenges the perception that rural communities are safe havens from the brutality of urban living. Identifying hidden crimes of economic blackmail and psychological mistreatment, and the complex relationship between patriarchy and abuse, Walter S. DeKeseredy and Martin D. Schwartz propose concrete and effective solutions, giving voice to women who have often suffered in silence. ""Dangerous Exits"" focuses on women living in rural America who are at great risk of sexual assault, beatings, and death during and immediately after separation or divorce.

AN ESQUIRE AND NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

An award-winning journalist’s exploration of the domestic violence epidemic, and how to combat it.

An average of 137 women are killed by familial violence across the globe every day. In the UK alone, two women die each week at the hands of their partners, and in the US domestic violence homicides have risen by 32 percent since 2017. The WHO deems it a ‘global epidemic’. Yet public understanding of this urgent problem remains catastrophically low.

Journalist Rachel Louise Snyder was no exception. Despite years of experience reporting on international conflicts, when it came to violence in the domestic sphere, she believed all the common assumptions: that it was a fate for the unlucky few, a matter of bad choices and cruel environments. That if things were dire enough, victims would leave. That violence inside the home was private. And, perhaps most of all, that unless you stand at the receiving end of a punch, it has nothing to do with you.

All this changed when Snyder began talking to the victims and perpetrators whose stories she tells in this book. Fearlessly reporting from the front lines of the epidemic, in No Visible Bruises she interviews men who have murdered their families, women who have nearly been murdered, and people who have grown up besieged by familial aggression, painting a vivid and nuanced picture of its reality. She talks to experts in violence prevention and law enforcement, revealing how domestic abuse has its roots in our education, economic, health, and justice systems, and how by tackling these origins we can render it preventable.

" In 1995 Kentucky governor Brereton Jones granted parole to ten women who had been convicted of killing, conspiring to kill, or assaulting the men who had abused them for years. The media began referring to them as the ""Sisters in Pain,"" a name they embraced. These are their stories. L. Elisabeth Beattie and Mary Angela Shaughnessy's interviews of seven of the Sisters in Pain detail the physical, sexual, or psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends, battery beyond comprehension. Anyone who has ever asked, ""Why don't they just leave?"" will come to understand the interconnected strands of abuse that make just living through another day a personal triumph. Beattie and Shaughnessy address the pervasive nature of domestic violence in America and explore the legal ramifications of fighting back. Their interviews with the Sisters in Pain reveal the ways in which these women have picked up the pieces of their shattered lives and learned to face the future.

Find out what drives women to violence in their intimate relationshipsand how to prevent it Women Who Perpetrate Relationship Violence examines the causes and consequences of violence initiated by women against their partners. This unique book fills the void of available literature on domestically violent women, taking a frank look at the issues surrounding female batterers who are the primary aggressors in their intimate relationships. Contributors write candidly about the similarities and differences between violent women and violent men, how to develop effective interventions, existing theories on the development of abusive behavior in women, and society's response to violent women. The counseling and psychological community has responded to the problem of domestic abuse and violence against women. But very little has been done to address the issues of domestic abuse and violence committed by women. Women Who Perpetrate Relationship Violence presents innovative original research that focuses specifically on women as offenders, rather than simply adapting programs created for male batterers to women. The book includes epidemiological studies, secondary analyses, personality profiles, and a study of women entering a 16-week, court-mandated, batterer intervention program (BIP). Women Who Perpetrate Relationship Violence examines: predictors of intimate violence, including antisocial criminal records, alcohol abuse, and personality disorders associations between interpersonal dependency and violence elevated histrionic, narcissistic, and compulsive personality traits personality disorders lethal domestic assaults recidivism differences in demographic and psychological variables between women who complete treatment programs and those who drop out and much more Women Who Perpetrate Relationship Violence is an invaluable professional resource for psychologists, social workers, and counselors.

Queer survivors piece together the clues to discover their own lives Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving goes beyond the recovery narrative to create a new queer literature of investigation, exploration, and transformation. Twenty-six stories illuminate the reality of growing up in fear, struggling to rebuild lives damaged by sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse. The book explores how abuse turns queer survivors-male, female, and transgendered-into healers, heartbreakers, and homicidal maniacs, presenting brilliant stories that sear and soar. Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving addresses all forms of abuse head-on, representing a cross-section of queer survivors in terms of race, class, ethnicity, education, origin, sexuality, and gender. Contributors use their own life experiences to create a book that takes back control from well-meaning "outsiders," as they recount the daily struggle to overcome the damage done to their minds, bodies, and spirits in a world that denies their gender, sexual, and social identities. From the editor: "Dangerous Families consists entirely of writing by survivors of childhood abuse. That's right-no therapists analyzing our plight, no talk-show hosts exploiting us-just survivors, exploring our complicated, frightening, and fulfilling lives. These stories dispense with the usual technique of carefully massaging the reader's fragile worldview before plunging this unsuspecting innocent into a world of horror. They go right to the horror, the beauty, and the joy, often throwing the reader off-guard, revealing layers of meaning before the reader can step back." Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving is an anthology of 26 true stories of growing up queer in families that magnify the horrors of the outside world instead of offering protection. The book is an essential read for therapists, caseworkers, cultural studies specialists, and anyone struggling to survive childhood

This Handbook provides a clear introduction to the theoretical debates surrounding the topic of domestic violence, and also offers practical advice on possible interventions. Focusing on improving the care of clients it covers: the causes and consequences of domestic violence personal and professional issues for the practitioner domestic violence and the law the process of effective intervention interventions in specific health care settings interventions where children are involved multi-agency approaches education and training. Taking an evidence-based approach to practical problems, Domestic Violence is an invaluable resource for nurses, doctors and other health practitioners who deal with the consequences of domestic violence in their daily work.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and a femicide rate that is more than five times the world average.

In this book, Dr Nechama Brodie looks at the story of femicide in South Africa over the past forty years. She interrogates police, public health and media data, exploring the history of violence against women in an entirely new way that contextualises and challenges the state and public response to what has, in reality, been a crisis for decades.

This book offers new perspectives on gender-based violence in three regions where the subject has been taboo in everyday discourse often due to patriarchal cultural norms that limit women's autonomy. The contributions to this book provide rare insight into not only the levels and the socio-demographic determinants of domestic violence, but topics ranging from men's attitudes toward wife beating; domestic violence-related adolescent deaths, and women's health problems due to sexual and physical abuse. With a comprehensive introduction that provides a comparative international research framework for discussing gender-based violence in these three unique regions, this volume provides a key basis for understanding gender-based violence on a more global level. Part I, on Africa, covers men's attitudes towards domestic violence, the impact of poverty and fertility, the association between adolescent deaths and domestic violence, and the link between domestic abuse and HIV. Part II, on the Middle East, covers the importance of consanguinity on domestic violence in Egypt and Jordan, the effects of physical abuse on reproductive health, and the link between political unrests and women's experience and attitudes towards domestic violence. Part III, on India, shows how sexual abuse puts women at risk of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections, as well as the role of gender norms in wife abuse and the role of youth aggressive behavior in nonconsensual sex. With such a deep and broad coverage of factors of intimate partner abuse, this book serves as a reference document for researchers, decision-makers, and organizations that are searching for ways to reduce gender-based domestic violence. This book is of interest for researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice, as well as Sociology, Social Work, Public Health and Human Rights.

What should public prosecutors do when victims withdraw support for domestic violence prosecutions? The answer to this question that motivates the investigation undertaken in this book defends the claim that (other things being equal) domestic violence prosecutors should respond as feminists.
This claim is intended as a provocative formulation of the proposition that domestic violence prosecutors should act for reasons generated by the value of reconstituting communities as less patriarchal.
This thesis is defended first by developing a general theory of prosecutorial practical reasoning, and then by considering the prosecution of domestic violence offences in particular. Along the way, this book provides an original account of the nature of prosecutorial action, the values that can be realized through such action, and the relationship between these values and the practical reasoning of criminal prosecutors.
Moreover, it provides original analyses of two key concepts, domestic violence and patriarchy, and explains the relevance of the latter to a proper understanding of the former.
These insights are put to work in answering the motivating question stated above, and provide answers both in terms of what prosecutors would be justified in doing, and what prosecutors should do in order to be effective.

Where is feminist state theory today? This book offers novel insights into social science debates by analyzing feminist theories of the state. It argues that we need feminist tools for analyzing states and focuses on two debates, domestic violence and childcare, as areas where feminists discursively construct the state. These themes are developed within a comparative perspective. Focusing on devolution in Scotland and the European Union, the book further explores how feminist state theories conceive multi-level governance.

This book introduced a new model of woman defined advocacy that was designed to bridge the gap that sometimes occurs between a battered woman's perspective and a victim's advocate's perception. Created to improve service delivery to women who are victims of domestic violence, this model emphasized placing attention on the victim's assessment of the risk in the violent relationship and on her decision making. The authors aim to help advocates better understand battered women's decisions, including the decision to stay in an abusive relationship, to improve advocacy for victims with various cultural experiences and backgrounds, and to provide advocates with assistance in redesigning their services so they may better meet the needs of battered women.

The second edition will be updated to include current research, greater emphasis on working with marginalized populations, an expanded advocacy framework, more emphasis on client strengths and strengths based perspective, and more pedagogical elements will be introduced.

Current family policy approaches emphasise the significance of paternal involvement in children's lives, yet there has been a silence on violent and abusive fathering in these discourses. This is the first UK book to specifically focus on violent fathering discussing original research in the context of domestic violence and emerging practice literature to address this problem. Violent fathering and the risks to children examines fathers' perceptions of their domestic violence and its impact on children, their relationships with children and their parenting practices. It looks at fathers' reasons for wanting contact with children post-separation, abusive parenting practices during child contact and the impacts of perpetrator programmes on the fathers' own perceptions of their abuse. It also discusses abused mothers' perceptions of their ex-partners' parenting. The author recommends ways that policy and practice can be improved in order to safeguard children in family law and child protection practice through a better understanding of the risks posed and appropriate assessment of violent fathers as parents. This book will be of interest to academics and students in family and child welfare policy, socio-legal studies, social work, criminology, gender studies and other disciplines with an interest in domestic violence and child protection. It will also be also be of considerable value to professionals working in this area.

Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships provides a comprehensive analysis of same-sex domestic violence, addressing the major theoretical and treatment issues for both its victims and perpetrators. Its contents raise awareness among social service providers, of the problem of same-sex domestic violence and emphasize the need for special services for both victims and perpetrators. The publication of Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships signifies the growing official recognition of domestic violence within lesbian and gay relationships as a social problem worthy of serious attention and intervention.Editors Renzetti and Miley begin by providing readers with an overview of the problem of same-sex domestic violence and the responses of the domestic violence movement and other social service providers. Chapters then move to discussions of the current scarcity of services available to lesbian and gay victims and perpetrators of domestic violence and then evaluate specific treatment modalities for these client groups. Significantly, the special needs of lesbians and gays of color and those with HIV/AIDS are discussed. Chapters contain: an historical overview of the study of same-sex domestic violence a review and evaluation of theoretical explanations of same-sex domestic violence an analysis of major problems in service provisions to gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence suggestions for and evaluations of specific treatment modalities an analysis of how racism intersects with homophobia to exacerbate the consequences of domestic violence an analysis of the role of HIV/AIDS in same-sex domestic violenceContributors to this volume were actively addressing the problem of same-sex domestic violence before it was officially "discovered." Some were motivated by their experiences as victims and survivors of same-sex domestic violence, others by their concern about domestic violence in general. As a compilation of the writings of academics, clinicians, advocates, and activists, Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships bridges disciplinary and occupational boundaries and promotes a dialogue across fields and specialties.Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships is unique in that it is the only book available which comprehensively addresses the social service needs of gay and lesbian domestic violence victims and perpetrators. Specific suggestions are offered for improving service providers' responses to gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence. Social workers, counselors, practitioners and clinicians will find it especially useful, given that it addresses the effectiveness of particular treatment modalities for lesbian and gay victims and perpetrators.

Intimate partner violence is a complex, ugly, fear-inducing reality for large numbers of women around the world. When violence exists in a relationship, safety is compromised, shame abounds, and peace evaporates. Violence is learned behavior and it flourishes most when it is ignored, minimized, or misunderstood. When it strikes the homes of deeply religious women, they are: more vulnerable; more likely to believe that their abusive partners can, and will, change; less likely to leave a violent home, temporarily or forever; often reluctant to seek outside sources of assistance; and frequently disappointed by the response of the religious leader to their call for help. These women often believe they are called by God to endure the suffering, to forgive (and to keep on forgiving) their abuser, and to fulfill their marital vows until death do us part. Concurrently, many batterers employ explicitly religious language to justify the violence towards their partners, and sometime they manipulate spiritual leaders who try to offer them help. Religion and Intimate Partner Violence seeks to navigate the relatively unchartered waters of intimate partner violence in families of deep faith. The program of research on which it is based spans over twenty-five years, and includes a wide variety of specific studies involving religious leaders, congregations, battered women, men in batterer intervention programs, and the army of workers who assist families impacted by abuse, including criminal justice workers, therapeutic staff, advocacy workers, and religious leaders. The authors provide a rich and colorful portrayal of the intersection of intimate partner violence and religious beliefs and practices that inform and interweave throughout daily life. Such a focus on lived religion enables readers to isolate, examine, and evaluate ways in which religion both augments and thwarts the journey towards justice, accountability, healing and wholeness for women and men caught in the web of intimate partner violence.

Five years ago Mackenzie Darroch was abducted and held captive in a derelict house. She thought she'd found her way out of the darkness. She was wrong... When Mackenzie witnesses a car crash and saves the driver's life, it sets in motion a chain of events that will alter both their futures. The two women get involved in a high-profile police case which draws the attention of a ruthless reporter. Gina Calvi is convinced Mackenzie is not who she appears and is prepared to do anything to prove it. Meanwhile, across the city, Kirsty McBride, a young single mother, is persuaded to leave a violent relationship. Her partner, Malkie Boyle a Glasgow hardman, is due to be released from prison. Once back on the street and bent on revenge, Boyle is determined to find the people responsible for stealing his family from him. Can Mackenzie save them or will Boyle get his revenge?Owen Mullen is a best-selling author of psychological and gangland thrillers. His fast-paced, twist-aplenty stories are perfect for all fans of Robert Galbraith, Ian Rankin and Ann Cleeves. What readers say about Owen Mullen: 'Owen Mullen knows how to ramp up the action just when it's needed... he never fails to give you hard-hitting thrillers that have moments that will stay with you forever...' 'One of the very best thriller writers I have ever read.' 'Owen Mullen writes a good story, he really brings his characters to life and the endings are hard to guess and never what you expected.'

This book explores the roles that control, abuse, bullying and family violence can play within the tourism system. While it is generally understood that such behaviours are significant issues in society, the correlation between these types of behaviour and tourism has not been assessed in scholarly circles. The volume sets out to explain each of these behaviours within tourism industries using autoethnography as its method. This book reveals the heightened risk of family violence during family events, sporting events and in the tourism system, and explains that risks continue and can even increase after separating from a perpetrator of family violence. This is an important and under-researched area in the tourism and events literature and will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in these fields, as well as family violence, social work, health and law.

Domestic violence continues to be a social problem that is rarely understood or discussed in many parts of the world. The same holds true in the Anglophone Caribbean. The Caribbean context is unique as it was birthed out of colonization, which was violent and brutal for those who were forced to migrate from another country as enslaved labor, as well as for those who were conquered out of their lands. Most Caribbean islands' societies were created and developed by slaves, colonizers, and indentured servants. This history has left an indelible scar on all involved, which is exemplified by the antagonistic way people interact, whether it is between races, ethnicities, religions, or gender. Traditionally, domestic relationships and causal factors for domestic violence has been investigated from a myriad of perspectives including the ethnic lineage of the participants. However, in the Caribbean due to its historic origins, domestic violence should also be examined through the lens of its colonial past. This book examines the consequences of allowing domestic violence to perpetuate in the region. It then looks at some of practices used to provide support and find justice for victims and perpetrators in a Caribbean cultural context.

Domestic Violence and International Law argues that certain forms of domestic violence are a violation of international human rights law. The argument is based on the international law principle that, where a state fails to protect a vulnerable group of people from harm, whether perpetrated by the state or private actors, it has breached its obligations to protect against human rights violation. This book provides a comprehensive legal analysis for why a state should be accountable in international law for allowing women to suffer extreme forms of domestic violence and how this can help individual victims. It is irrelevant that the violence is perpetrated by individuals and not state actors such as soldiers or the police. The state's breach of its responsibility is in its failure to act effectively in domestic violence cases; and in its silent endorsement of the violence, it becomes complicit. The book seeks to reformulate academic and political debate on domestic violence and the responsibility of states under international law. It is based on empirical data combined with an honest assessment of whether or not domestic violence is recognised by the international community as a human rights violation. 'Domestic Violence in International Law [...] provides an original, provocative, and much needed legal framework for the coherent development of a norm against domestic violence in international human rights law...Dr. Meyersfeld has developed a thoroughgoing analysis that asks and answers the most difficult questions often neglected by academics, lawyers and activists who dismiss the possibility that systemic violence against women could violate international law...Most fundamentally, this book is memorable for the hope and optimism it expresses about the transformative possibilities of international law. For without compromising such intensely human values as privacy, autonomy and cultural identity, Dr. Meyersfeld moves her reader with an abiding conviction: that international law, fueled with the power of transnational actors, can propel public actors to protect abused and vulnerable people in their most private worlds.' From the Foreword by Harold Koh, The Legal Adviser, United States Department of State (2009-).

This book seeks to break new ground in the way in which adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse is understood. Incorporating knowledge from an original research project undertaken in the UK and international literature, this book provides insight into the prevalence of this form of domestic violence which can include psychological, physical, and economic abuse. Young person and family characteristics are explored, and links are made between sibling aggression and school bullying behaviours. A key theme is how the data can be used to develop statistical models which can screen for young people behaving abusively towards their parents. It discusses how the research can be applied to inform theoretical frameworks, policy development, and professional practice, with a focus on prevention and early intervention that uses positive youth justice and restorative approaches.

What role does physical and virtual space play in gender-based violence (GBV)? Experts from the Global North and South use wide-ranging case studies - from public harassment in India and Kenya to harassment on Twitter - to examine how spaces can facilitate or prevent GBV and showcase strategies for prevention and intervention. Students and academics from a range of disciplines will discover how existing research connects with practice and policy developments, the current gaps in research and a future agenda for GBV studies.

Violence against women is a growing problem. With examples from Denmark, France, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the contributors to this volume explore how violence is framed through language and what this means for research and policy. They look at how metaphors in police homicide reports obscure domestic violence, how abstract language conveys stereotypes without anybody noticing, and how Western authorities have struggled to understand crimes in the name of honor. Language shapes responses to abuse and approaches to perpetrators and interfaces with national debates about gender, violence, and social change.

Every day more than three women in South Africa, on average, are murdered by their male intimate partners. This book looks at the stories of South African women who were subjected to unimaginable periods of fear and terror, who endured sustained physical, emotional and psychological attacks, all at the hands of men.

Dr Nechama Brodie explores decades of brutal domestic violence and coercive control and she examines women’s changing rights and current legal protections.

Since its original publication in 1982, Getting Free has changed the lives of tens of thousands of women. Written in an accessible style, packed with practical information and answers, special exercises designed to help a woman recognize abuse, and several success stories, Getting Free remains an important resource today,and this updated edition makes it an all the more relevant resource.In this expanded edition, Ginny NiCarthy features important new information from the latest studies and most recent research on the subject. New chapters include an analysis of whether batterers' treatment really works, which programs help violent men change, and which do not the results of research on the ways that many men who batter also abuse their children, and specific reactions of children to battering the cultural and legal issues relevant to immigrant women and a presentation of how religious beliefs and religious communities affect the real and perceived choices of women facing violence.

Surviving Domestic Violence follows a group of women on their journeys through and away from abusive relationships. Using a gendered lens, seven influential social dimensions are examined: power, emotion, children, home, economic resource, informal and community support. Struggling with domestic violence and poverty, we see women actively pursuing safety for themselves and their children. However, a gendered analysis of external structural contexts, as well as individual responses, reveals the constraints women face in achieving support to gain safety.