Abstract
In China, women who domestically relocate from rural or less developed regions to major cities are at a higher risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) than their non-migrant counterparts. Few studies have focused on Chinese domestic migrant women’s help-seeking for IPV and their use of different sources of support. The present study aimed to identify factors that influence migrant women’s help-seeking decisions. In addition, we also examined factors that contribute to migrant women’s use of diverse sources of support for IPV. A sample of 280 migrant women victimized by IPV in the past year at the time of the survey was drawn from a larger cross-sectional study conducted in four major urban cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Using a multinomial logistic regression model and a zero-inflated Poisson model, we found that factors influencing migrant women’s help-seeking decisions and their use of diverse sources of support included socioeconomic factors, IPV type, relationship-related factors, knowledge of China’s first anti-Domestic Violence Law, and perception of the effectiveness of current policies. We discuss implications for future research and interventions.
Highlights
The mass domestic migration in contemporary China began in the early 1980s, a process characterized by a an ongoing relocation of people from rural or less urbanized regions to more developed urban areas
With the backdrop of the ongoing domestic migration, in the field of IPV research in China attention has been given to the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among migrant populations in urban areas (e.g., Chen et al, 2016; Tu & Lou, 2017)
Our findings suggest that having knowledge of the National anti-Domestic Violence (DV) Law greatly increases the chance of help-seeking for IPV in domestic migrant women
Summary
The mass domestic migration in contemporary China began in the early 1980s, a process characterized by a an ongoing relocation of people from rural or less urbanized regions to more developed urban areas. Another study that surveyed 1,744 married migrants in four cities in Zhejiang, an eastern coastal province in China, reported a rate of IPV of 44.2% in the past 12 months, and migrant women were more likely to experience sexual IPV compared to their male counterparts (Chen et al, 2016). These estimates are not representative of all urban-based migrant women, they suggest the seriousness of the issue of IPV among this population. More research should focus on this group of women
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
