Abstract
Although there are tendencies to portray women in partner relationships as physically equally aggressive as men, initiating violence, revenge, and using deadly force almost as much as men, men’s violence against women is more pernicious, characterized by more severe and frequent acts of greater range, manifestations, and with more severe consequences. It is therefore unjustified to speak of gender symmetry, and present this type of violence in gender-neutral terms. This paper provides an overview of the most important features of the observed phenomenon, focusing on psychological violence, which plays a key role in “breaking the resistance”, and in providing a “voluntary sacrifice”, i.e., coercive control, structural in nature and extending to all aspects of a woman’s life. Paradoxically, leaving a violent partner is a risk factor for violence and is considered to be potentially more dangerous than staying in a relationship. In the literature, help seeking and coping strategies used by women who have experienced violence are conceptualized in various ways, and research confirms that they depend on the features of violence and the resources available. It is shown that the crucial precondition for women who want to break out of the circle of violence and begin a new life is a fact that professionals understand the gender nature of violence, that effective social control of violent behaviour is established, that women are lent support through specialized independent programs over a longer period, which should be multidimensional and well synchronized, so as to include women, and take into account their needs, reinforcing their sense of security and space for action.
Highlights
There is still a lot of confusion both in the literature and in practice regarding the key characteristics of intimate partner violence, especially its gender dimension, the needs of women with experience of violence, and the appropriate institutional response
Violence in intimate partner relationships constitutes a specific form of domestic violence
In international treaties ratified by the Republic of Serbia, domestic violence is defined as “any act of physical, sexual, psychological, or economic violence occurring within the family or household, or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not the offender shares or has shared the same residence with the victim.” 2
Summary
There is still a lot of confusion both in the literature and in practice regarding the key characteristics of intimate partner violence, especially its gender dimension, the needs of women with experience of violence, and the appropriate institutional response. Polovina (1997) points out that intimate partner violence is difficult to talk about due to numerous protection, denial and avoidance mechanisms, because of personal (conspiracy of silence, shame), social (traditional beliefs and “licenses” for male aggression), and official aversion to acknowledge which behaviour is involved (unspecified competencies) within services, as well as the lack of interconnectedness of the institutional system. One in two women over the age of 15 has experienced some form of violence by an intimate partner, every fourth (or fifth) has experienced a physical assault, and every twentieth has experienced sexual violence The prevalence and incidence of this phenomenon, as well as its effects on the health and well-being of women, and their families, communities and society in general, focuses on supporting effective strategies in combating violence, and achieving better social control of perpetrators. It focuses on the long-term support for women in rebuilding their lives after breaking out of a violent relationship. This includes adequate community resources, and the professionals’ relative knowledge and appropriate attitudes
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