Male Violence Research Articles

Women in transgression: why we still need to move beyond traditional gender roles in policy surrounding women who undertake substance use and sex work

Background Female sex workers and women who use drugs are often framed as “bad” or “fallen” women. In Scotland, discourses that interpret sex work and substance use as sites of violence against women have dominated. This restricts the creation of adequate policy to support women, and recognising their agency, autonomy and identity. Methods This research combines narrative interviews with women who use drugs, female family members of those who use substances (including drugs and alcohol) and interviews with women engaged in sex work in Scotland. These were thematically analysed to identify how women navigate their identities particularly as this relates to transgressing traditional gender roles in Scotland. Results Sex work and drug use are seen as contradictory to traditional feminine roles and as such policy is constructed from a moral standpoint. Women are constructed as “housewives” and “mothers” with a focus on the caring role they provide for the family, or as victims of patriarchy and male violence and their multiple other roles are often downplayed. Conclusion A paradigm shift is needed in discourse, debate and policy processes in order to enable women’s lived experiences to be heard and engaged. This will allow for thinking beyond a sole focus on risk.

Fighting for Justice for Women who Kill Abusive Partners

This article examines the collaborative process involved in campaigning for and representing women appealing murder convictions, highlighting the power of positive collaboration between lawyers, campaigners, frontline experts and the women themselves. Pragna Patel and Harriet Wistrich, who first met while protesting in the early 1990s outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, have been pivotal figures in this movement. Patel has dedicated four decades to Southall Black Sisters, an organisation advocating for black and minority women. Wistrich co-founded Justice for Women and later specialised in representing women victim-survivors of male violence, challenging discrimination in the criminal justice system. Their collaboration has led to significant precedent-setting murder appeals and reforms in domestic homicide law. This article reflects on their enduring involvement spanning three decades, detailing their efforts in individual cases and legislative reforms. Their approach focuses on obtaining detailed personal accounts from women and building legal strategies around them, aiming to challenge convictions through a feminist lens. Recently, their collaborative efforts prompted the United Kingdom government to commission the Law Commission to review defences in cases of homicide. This underscores their enduring impact in fighting for justice for women who kill their abusive partners and effecting legal change.

Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence and Levels of Hope in University Students in Health-Related Departments.

Intimate partner violence, is a major public and clinical health issue. Health institutions are one of the institutions to which a violence victim applies first. That is why the attitude of future health professionals is important. Hope is a concept that supports well-being and mental health. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between attitudes towards intimate partner violence and hope levels of university students studying in the field of health. The research was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The research was carried out in December 2021 with 934 students. Data were collected using the sociodemographic data form, the acceptance of couple violence scale, and the trait hope scale. %65have a date or an ex-date, and %3.1 of them have experienced dating violence. 2.1% of the female students and 6.9% of the male students reported having experienced dating violence, and this was significantly higher in male students. Acceptance of couple violence among students are low in all dimensions. Acceptance of violence by men was significantly higher in all dimensions. Acceptance of male violence was significantly higher in those who use cigarettes and alcohol, and those who have experienced domestic or dating violence. The hope scale scores were close to high in all dimensions. The findings of the study showed the attitudes of students studying in health fields against violence. Students have dating relationships, are exposed to any violence in dating relationships, had low levels of acceptance of couple violence and high levels of hope. Students will start working with hope.

Dari Kekerasan Menuju Kesehatan Mental: Studi Kasus Konseling Realita pada Pelaku Kekerasan Seksual

Sexual violence is a serious problem that has deep psychological, physical and social impacts on victims and perpetrators. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of Reality counseling in helping male perpetrators of sexual violence overcome identity conflicts, modify maladaptive behavior, and improve their adaptation skills. This case study uses a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews and participant observation to analyze the effectiveness of Reality counseling for a perpetrator of male sexual violence against men. The study results showed that this therapy was successful in changing the perpetrator's behavior and emotional responses, and contributed to his emotional well-being while reducing the risk of relapse. Future research needs to explore the long-term effectiveness of Reality counseling in different contexts and individual characteristics to further deepen rehabilitation strategies for sexual assault perpetrators.

A Right to a Male Curfew

This article explores the case for a right to a male curfew. It argues the epidemic of male violence and harassment against women in public spaces is a major breach of women’s human rights. This generates an obligation on the state to protect women. The article substantiates that claim and explains why a male curfew would be a reasonable way for the state to fulfil its obligations and is therefore required unless an alternative can be found.

Policing Men, Policing Women: Responsibility and Accountability for Violence Against Women and Girls, Including Domestic Abuse and Femicide

Existing legal responses to violence against women and girls (VAWG) often focus on the behaviour of the victim as much as, or sometimes more than, that of the alleged perpetrator. The laws that are supposed to protect women and girls from abuse are used to ‘police’ the behaviour of women; access to remedies and redress can seem to be contingent on whether the victim has adhered to stereotypes of an ‘ideal/real’ or ‘deserving’ victim. Female victims of male violence, including femicide, are often judged for their own behaviour; what they ‘ought’ to have done to keep themselves safe. This ‘responsibilisation’ is evident in both the substantive law and in the implementation of the law in practice. This article will highlight some of the examples of victim blaming in existing legal responses to VAWG in England and Wales. It will consider the question: how can we focus less on victim behaviour and more on perpetrator responsibility and accountability? Jayne Cowie’s book After Dark offers a useful lens for examining this question. The article will explore the parallels between some of the existing preventative measures for domestic abuse in England and Wales and some of the fictional measures enacted in Cowie’s world, in particular cohabitation contracts and domestic violence disclosure schemes.

‘Let’s excuse abusive men from abusing and enable sexual abuse’: child sexual abuse investigations in England’s private family courts

ABSTRACT Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is an ongoing scourge upon society. There is minimal understanding of the experiences of mothers and children in private law family court proceedings (PLP), when CSA is reported. A qualitative study was conducted and a feminist-informed Foucauldian Discourse Analysis was applied to understand ten life-stories from within a larger sample of 45. Five themes are presented. CSA was overwhelmingly reported as being minimised, with harmful outcomes for children and mothers reported. Pro-father and ‘parental alienation’ narratives were a facilitator of severe harm and continued male violence to victim-survivor mothers and children. Further research into the scale and prevalence of CSA within PLP is urgently required.

“What is Rape, Why Me, So What Now?” Out of the Shadows: Women’s Post-Rape Life Experiences in Turkey

Women who have experienced rape are at risk for short/long term physical and mental health problems, psycho-social and socio-economic challenges, they may have a variety of related social service needs. This study aims to explore the post-rape life experiences of women in Turkey, a country where male violence against women, particularly rape, remains prevalent. Utilizing a qualitative research methodology, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 women, who are resident in Turkey and survivors of rape. The findings derived from thematic analysis illuminate the dual burden faced by the survivors: the trauma from rape itself, and the imposed submissiveness within a patriarchal society. These experiences contribute to the deepening of the emotional and psychological aftermath of the trauma, pushing the survivors into a vulnerable state. The results of this study underscore the urgent need for systemic and cultural changes in Turkey, as well as enhanced support mechanisms and social services for survivors of rape. There is a need for research to examine the needs that arise from the intersecting issues experienced by women who have been subjected to rape.

Girmit, intimacy and sexual violence: indentured women on colonial sugar plantations, c. 1834–1917

ABSTRACT This essay investigates the sexual violence against Indian indentured women during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries on colonial plantations around the world through the lens of intimacy and labour. Beginning in the 1830s, Indian men, women, and children were brought to various overseas plantations by colonial planters under the indenture system, which was designed to fill the labour shortage that resulted from the 1833 abolition of slavery in the British Empire. This essay uses the petitions, depositions and letters of indentured women---available in colonial archives in both their native Indian languages and in English translation---to argue that the violence against women was not only perpetuated by plantation authorities but equally by Indian male indentured workers. The paper identifies two forms of violence on the plantations: colonial violence related to racial hierarchy and control over the subjugated subject and patriarchal violence related to Indian social control and domination. Each type of violence was related to intimacy, i.e. closeness of people on plantations. While colonial violence was enacted through power relations, the Indian male violence was enacted through imposition of the patriarchal norms.

“To be faithful to ourselves, we pay a price”: Jane F. Gilgun’s journey as a feminist qualitative social work practice researcher

In 2021, Jane Frances Gilgun retired after nearly 40 years on the faculty at the University of Minnesota in Twin Cities, USA. This article—tracing a sliver of her rich intellectual biography—was crafted from a career interview conducted for by Debra Nelson-Gardell for QSW, in four sessions, between December 2021 and March 2022. Gilgun is known for her extensive writing on qualitative methodology in social work and its connection to the Chicago School as well as her decades-long feminist investigation of male violence. Starting from an ontological worldview in the inherent goodness of humankind, Gilgun seeks to explain deviations from that path. She has spent a lifetime at the intersecting seams of gender, violence, and abuse of power. Gilgun’s career offers lessons for a next generation. Her work reminds us of the importance of the deep historical connections between qualitative social work and the Chicago School. It illustrates the time and dedication required to seriously investigate difficult topics using qualitative methodologies. It offers a bittersweet reminder that choosing the path less traveled—or resisting dominant views in the academy—can be a solitary experience but that building intentional communities of like-minded souls serves as a protective factor. Finally, Gilgun’s career embodies the idea that serious research agendas are animated by large and important questions. Her scholarship has grappled head-on with the basic philosophical question of how evil can exist in a world rooted in goodness.

Male Victims of Sexual Violence and Factors Associated With Reporting to Law Enforcement in the United States

Of the violent crimes, sexual assault remains the least likely to be reported to law enforcement across various countries, particularly for male victims. Addressing this gap in the literature, this study uses National Crime Victimization Survey data from 1992 to 2020 to examine the relationship between victim, offender, and situational characteristics to the reporting of rape for male victims by both male and female offenders. Of the 330 male victims, only one in six (16%) reported it to law enforcement. In the multivariate model, men were less likely to report the incident when the offender was a woman or a juvenile, the victim was college educated and lived in a rural area, and when the incident was a completed rape and occurred at night-time. Older victims are more likely to report, and when a weapon is used or there are injuries. Implications for efforts to increase reporting among victims of male sexual violence are discussed.

Socioeconomic Status as a Factor of Male Domestic Violence: Adaptations Due to Paternity Uncertainty Theory

Socioeconomic Status as a Factor of Male Domestic Violence: Adaptations Due to Paternity Uncertainty Theory

Sexual Violence Against Men in Civil Conflict

Sexual violence against men in conflict settings is neither a rare nor recent phenomenon, yet its absence in academic scholarship and humanitarian initiatives remains glaring. Despite the advances in our understanding of the determinants of wartime sexual violence against women, surprisingly little empirical research exists on sexual violence against men in conflict. Acts of sexual violence are commonly enacted against men in war, yet because they do not fit more narrow definitions of rape, accounts of these experiences are often misclassified as “torture.” Moreover, in many countries experiencing pervasive conflict-related sexual violence, there exist restrictive laws regarding sodomy and homosexuality, reducing the chances that males will report their experiences. Using originally coded data on sexual and gender identity laws and reported incidents of sexual violence in civil conflict, I find that laws that outline the protection of sexual and gender identity expression including the decriminalization of same-sex activity are significantly associated with reports of acts of sexual violence against men. The results speak to the gap in the literature on male sexual violence with tangible consequences for the distribution of humanitarian aid, availability of medical and psychological services for victims, and aims of peacekeeping missions.

Male Intimate Partner Violence Victims’ Experiences With Seeking Help From Legal System Services Over Time and Across Countries

Fifty years of evidence documents that men represent a substantial portion of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, studies show that there are few services available to them, and qualitative studies from Western countries worldwide show that male IPV victims report uniformly negative experiences when seeking help from various legal professionals, including police, judges, lawyers, other court personnel, and victim advocates. The current study is a quantitative investigation of male IPV victims’ experiences with legal service systems across several English-speaking countries and over time. Using cross-sectional data from two samples—594 self-identified male IPV victims and 1,380 men from a crowdsourcing platform (Prolific) who reported at least one act of physical and/or sexual IPV victimization from a romantic partner—we found that men from the United States were significantly less likely to seek help from the police or legal support personnel than men from other countries, but they rated these resources’ helpfulness significantly higher. Moreover, the helpfulness of these resources increased over time. On average, across countries and time periods, ratings were consistent with unhelpfulness, with the majority of men reporting that they were not provided with appropriate resources or support. Discussion focuses on explanations for these findings, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research.

Breaking the Silence: Exploring Peritraumatic Distress and Negative Emotions in Male and Female Physical Domestic Violence Victims.

Domestic violence is a widespread problem affecting individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Peritraumatic distress is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems among victims, but research on men's experiences is limited. We analyzed data from 48 physical domestic violence victims (16 males and 32 females) to compare their levels of peritraumatic distress and negative emotions, and to examine the types of aggressors they faced. We used descriptives to summarize sample characteristics and Peritraumatic Distress Inventory scores and used statistical tests such as Mann-Whitney U, Shapiro-Wilk, Levene's test, contingency tables, and chi-square to investigate differences and associations between variables. Female victims of domestic violence had significantly higher scores on the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory than male victims and experienced significantly higher levels of negative emotions than male victims, including impotence/inability to react, sadness, anger/frustration, loss of control, fear, guilt, and shame. Husbands and domestic partners were the most frequent aggressors against female victims, while wives and ex-wives were the most frequent aggressors against male victims. In addition, partners were found to be the most frequent type of aggressor in the sample. Descriptive statistics, box plots, and scatter plots were used to provide a clear picture of the sample characteristics. Female victims of domestic violence reported higher levels of peritraumatic distress and negative emotions compared to men victims. Partners were the most frequent type of aggressor in the sample.

‘Do You Think I Can Kill You?’ Exploring Intimate Femicide in South Africa and Why Intimacy Hurts So Much

This article draws on two South African books published recently dealing with violence against women, namely Nechama Brodie’s <i>Femicide in South Africa</i> (2020), and Kopano Ratele’s <i>Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence and Masculinity</i> (2022). Both authors explore strategies for the prevention of violence against women and this article supplements their strategies with an idea put forth by Hannah Arendt in <i>The Life of the Mind</i> (1978). The article argues that intimate femicide persists in South Africa, to an extent as a result of the construction of a certain type of ‘hard’, ‘patriarchal’, ‘traditional’ masculinity that cannot admit its own frailty, dependence, impotence and powerlessness, and attempts to conceal its needs by becoming violent. Arendt argues that violence and power are opposites and that equating male violence with power is a lie that violence perpetuates about itself. Arendt proposes that the antidote to this false mastery and control is the activity of thinking, as distinguished from knowing. The article argues that the activity of thinking acts as a brake on the fantasy of masculine mastery and control and can perhaps minimise violence.

Remembering Jalna Hanmer (1931–2023)

ABSTRACT This obituary recalls the life of the feminist activist and academic Jalna Hanmer (1931–2023) who campaigned to end male violence against women and to improve the attitude of the police when dealing with domestic abuse.

The gendered risks of defending rights in armed conflict: Evidence from Colombia

This article uses the case of Colombia to evaluate the gendered risks of social leadership and human rights activism in territories governed by armed groups. Existing data on Colombian human rights and social leader deaths reveals that men leaders are being killed at a much higher rate than women social leaders. In this article, we delve deeper into gendered patterns of violence against men and women leaders by focusing specifically on the content of the threats these leaders receive from armed groups. We analyzed 40 qualitative interviews with men and women social leaders who have worked in nine different conflict regions of Colombia to find that armed actors target men and women leaders with uniquely gender-specific threats. These findings tell us a great deal, not only about how armed groups govern those in the territories they control, but also about the gender biases they hold about men and women leaders who challenge their authority. Although women leader deaths are less common than those of their male counterparts, the threats and violence both receive are grounded in stereotypical gender norms, and thus merit gender-sensitive, context-specific analyses and responses.

Prevalence of violence victimisation and poly-victimisation among female sex workers in Haiphong, Viet Nam: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study is the first to describe the prevalence of violence and poly-victimisation among 310 female sex workers (FSWs) who were cisgender in Haiphong, Viet Nam. An adapted version of the WHO-Multi-Country Study on Violence against Women Survey Instrument was administered to assess physical, sexual, economic and emotional forms of violence perpetrated by an intimate partner, paying partner/client, and/or others (e.g. relatives, police, strangers and other FSWs) during adulthood. The ACE-Q scale was administered to assess adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) before age 18 years. Our findings showed that FSWs are exposed to high rates of multiple forms of violence by multiple perpetrators. For any male client-perpetrated violence (CPV), lifetime prevalence was 70.0%, with 12-month prevalence 61.3%. Lifetime prevalence of male intimate partner violence (IPV) was 62.1%, and the 12-month prevalence was 58.2%. Lifetime and prior 12-month prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by other perpetrators (OPV) was 18.1% and 14.2%, respectively. Sixty-five percent of FSWs reported at least one type of ACE. Overall, 21.6 percent of FSWs reported having experienced all three forms of violence (IPV, CPV and OPV) in their lifetime. Policy and programme recommendations for screening and prevention of violence are needed in this setting.

Support or Betrayal? Swedish Survivors' Experiences of Support From Social Workers During Post-Separation Violence.

The aim of this study is to shed light on how Swedish female survivors of male intimate partner violence experience support from social workers during post-separation violence. This is explored through an interview study with sixteen survivors. Hester's three planet model is utilized in the analysis. The results show that while the survivors described positive experiences of support from social workers on the Domestic violence planet, they felt social workers in the family law system on the Child contact planet enabled post-separation violence, and reported that this contributed to them feeling betrayed rather than supported.