Violence Against Women And Girls Research Articles

Using Social Media to Recruit Seldom-Heard Groups: Reaching Women and Girls with Experience of Violence in Iran

Social media recruitment and online surveys are valuable tools in social science research, but their effectiveness in reaching seldom-heard victims of gender violence in low-middle income (LMI) countries is under-explored. This empirical study aims to: (1) describe violence and abuse experiences and (2) assess the benefits and limitations of using social media to document violence against women and girls (VAWGs) in a LMI country to render visible the experiences of potentially isolated victims. A total of 453 Iranian women (aged 14–59, mean = 28.8, SD = 8.04) responded to an Instagram invitation for a study on women’s health and violence exposure from February 2020 to January 2022. The questionnaire covered general gendered abuse, domestic violence (DV), and forced unemployment. The analysis was performed using Stata 17. Nearly all participants reported abuse, including sexual (85.0%), psychological (83.4%), and technology-facilitated (57.4%) abuse, with 77.4% experiencing multiple forms. The street (62%) and home (52.8%) were common abuse locations. The perpetrators included known individuals (75.9%) and strangers (80.8%), with 56.7% reporting abuse by both. DV was reported by 72.6%, mainly involving psychological (73.1%), physical (53.4%), and/or sexual (17.2%) violence, with fathers (47.8%), husbands (42.7%), and brothers (40.2%) as frequent perpetrators. A quarter reported forced unemployment. Those experiencing DV and/or forced unemployment showed higher depression levels, suicidal ideation, and lower marital satisfaction. The study suggests using social media recruitment for VAWG research but cautions against overgeneralising from these data.

‘Now there is no escape’: the impact of the COVID-19 social restrictions on parents experiencing violence and abuse from their children

Child- and adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) has gained recognition over the past decade and, to an extent, gained momentum on the violence against women and girls (VAWG) policy agenda. However, CAPVA remains subordinate to the omnipresent problem of violence and abuse perpetrated by current and former intimate partners, as do responses to this often-hidden form of violence. This was especially apparent during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social restrictions, when many parent victims of CAPVA faced a silent struggle of enforced proximity with their violent and/or abusive child alongside a significant drop in respite and means of support. In this article, we present research findings from a project conducted during the 2020 lockdown period in the UK, examining parents’ experiences of CAPVA and support during this period, as well as practitioners’ experiences of providing support. In addition to revealing that over two-thirds of parents reported an increase in CAPVA during the initial lockdown, our discussion highlights the need for sustained recognition and attention to be afforded to CAPVA, so that systematic, strategic, and evidence-based nationwide responses can be developed, including adequate risk assessment processes, safeguarding measures and support.

Girls and Gangs: A Decade on From the Firmin Report and What Has Changed?

Presenting data from the first phase of a U.K.-based 5-year mixed-methods study, we restart a decade-long conversation into Girls and Gangs and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The relationship between the two is not mutually exclusive and coupled with the recent optics surrounding youth violence and gendered violence, we discuss how the needs of women are being somewhat hindered as a result of U.K. governmental vacillation. We therefore consider the serious impact of VAWG and the concomitancy with youth violence/gangs. By drawing on contemporary feminist criminological theorizing, we aim to galvanize governmental responses to prioritize the needs of women at a time when policymakers are arguably poised to listen.

At whose cost? Racialised differences in how domestic violence and sexual violence advocates adapted to COVID-19

Much of the research on COVID-19 and violence against women and girls (VAWG) has focused on the impacts on victim-survivors or on organisations offering support. This qualitative study aimed at documenting the coping strategies of, and the impacts on, support workers, specifically domestic and sexual violence advocates (independent domestic violence advisor [IDVA] and independent sexual violence advisors [ISVA]), in two London based organisations. The findings revealed a double load of supporting others while coping with the impacts of the pandemic on themselves and their families. An unanticipated but revealing finding was that the conjunction of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement made visible and visceral the daily work that Black women do to manage everyday racism, including in the VAWG sector. For these women ‘returning to normal’ was an unwelcome and unacceptable prospect, making anti-racism work in the VAWG sector an urgent priority.

Femicide in Northern Ireland during the COVID‐19 lockdown: A model for differentiating male offender characteristics

AbstractFemicide, the lethal form of gender‐based violence against women, is a global health crisis that transcends class and ethnicity. To date, there is no working model for differentiating male femicide offenders within Northern Ireland (NI); therefore, the current study aimed to do this, focusing on the timeframe of the COVID‐19 lockdown in 2020. The research has drawn on newspaper articles reporting on the 11 NI femicides perpetrated over a period of 20 months. These crimes were content analysed for the presence or absence of 16 pre‐identified offender variables. The data was analysed using a multi‐dimensional scaling procedure called Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). Two distinct themes emerged: Chronic Criminal Abuser and Mentally Disturbed. The qualitative data obtained on offender characteristics aligned with the preliminary model for differentiation. Forensic implications pertinent to risk assessment and management are considered. It is argued that NI adopt an active violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy to effectively tackle the issue of Femicide. Future research may consider a retrospective study of NI Femicide offenders to firmly establish the types of offenders committing femicide for targeted resource allocation.

Human Trafficking: A Call for Action Research

Since the year 2000, 25 November has been observed as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to make the public aware of violence against women and girls (VAWG). Human Trafficking is one of the most brutal forms of VAWG. This brief communication in the form of an editorial discusses the despicable issues linked to human trafficking, calling for action research.

Reducing Violence Against Women and Girls in the Arab League: A Systematic Review of Preventive Interventions.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal #5 (Gender Equity) includes violence against women and girls (VAWG), considering it as a violation of the rights of women and girls. The variety of risk factors for VAWG in Arab countries suggests the need to identify effective interventions to guide practitioners and policy makers. A systematic review of preventive interventions across the Arab League examined the outcomes of VAWG. Authors registered the study on the prospective register of systematic reviews database. Authors conducted the search for evidence up to 2023. Database searching identified 1,502 studies and after application of the eligibility criteria, 17 studies remained for inclusion. Quality appraisal used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Evidence emerged from eight Arab countries. Interventions occurred at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. However, only two studies employed interventions using more than one level of prevention, which considered systems strengthening and the development of community solidarity networks. The evidence revealed a lack of clear evaluation and evidence for the effectiveness of interventions and prevention alongside reactive approaches, with no evidence as to how systems may reduce or prevent VAWG. One main issue is patriarchal dominance in Arab countries creating the lack of a collective female voice in any of the evidence. However, Arab countries can change with support. Achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #5 by 2030 means interventions and programs need to include more than one prevention level, consider systems and include the collective female voice.

Quantifying missed opportunities in health sector for women and girls victims of violence in Albania

Abstract Health facilities are important contact points for victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in need of care. In Albania relevant data about health sector utilization remain scarce. This is a first attempt aiming to quantify missed opportunities for survivors of VAWG at the health system. We used a sample of 151 victims of VAWG, residents of Tirana Capital, retrieved from the dataset of Counseling Line for Women and Girls, a non-governmental agency. All cases were victims of physical violence during 2018-2022. For each case in the sample, health records for the same period were traced in Tirana hospitals and primary health care (PHC) facilities medical registries. Hospital records were traced for all 151 cases, while PHC records were completed only for the cases with a national ID. No case of VAWG was formally registered or reported by health services in Tirana in the 5 years prior to survey. Nonetheless, 51.5% of survivors had used PHC services and 20.4% had used hospital services during the same period. 8.6% had been at the emergency service of Trauma Hospital with acute symptoms of physical body harm and 12.5% had received obstetric-gynecologic care. The average number of visits at PHC for the women using the services was 3.3, ranging from 1 to 15 visits during 5 years. The most common reasons for the visits at PHC were chronic conditions (28.7%), followed by infection diseases (22.%) and mental illness (16.5%). Health sector opportunities to provide specific treatment and support to victims of VAWG are missed at multiple levels in Albania. While piloting integrated health and social care at selected PHC facilities in the country provide a good momentum for responding to some of the unmet needs, a more comprehensive agenda for the health sector should address physician's failure to identify and deal with VAWG as a health problem. Key messages • Health sector opportunities to provide specific treatment and support to victims of violence against women and girls are missed at multiple levels in Albania. • Interventions in the health sector should address physician's failure to identify and deal with violence against women and girls as a health problem.

Population size estimation of survivors of violence against women and girls in Tirana

Abstract Survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG) are often stigmatized, resulting in unreported cases and missed opportunities for support services. In this analysis we aimed to estimate the real size of VAWG in Tirana district between 2019-2022. Size estimation was based on capture-recapture methodologies using two independent databases; from the Counselling Line for Women and Girls (CLWG), a non-governmental agency providing counselling to survivors of VAWG, and the Registry of Violence in Albania (REVALB), the official registry of VAWG. There were 155 and 895 cases respectively in CLWG and REVALB. 48 women were found in both registries. The first points of contact for survivors of VAWG were Police, Court/Judge and Municipality services while none of the women recorded in REVALB reported accessing health, education or NGO services. The estimated number of reportable VAWG cases in Tirana district between January 2019- August 2022 was 2890 (95% CI:2218-3562). The estimation is highest for 2021 with 1418 cases (95% CI:766-2069) and lowest for 2020 with 251 cases (95% CI:101-400). Real number of reportable survivors and victims of VAWG is at least 3 times higher than the cases officially registered in the national database in Tirana. The estimation for 2020 is highly affected by an important decrease in registration of cases during first year of COVID-19 pandemic. More efforts should be made, especially by the health services, to identify and refer as needed potential cases of VAWG. Key messages • Real number of reportable survivors and victims of VAWG is at least 3 times higher than the cases officially registered in the national database in Tirana • ore efforts should be made, especially by the health services, to identify and refer as needed potential cases of VAWG.

Describing an Online Co-development Process of VAWG Prevention Intervention Activities With Young High School Learners, in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Evidence suggests that co-developed participatory interventions to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) may support behavior change. Yet, adolescents are often excluded from intervention development. Moreover, there remains a gap in understanding if intervention co-development can occur online. Our study explored the feasibility of undertaking an online co-development process for a participatory VAWG prevention intervention. We worked with a small group of high school learners (18–19 years), from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. We collected session notes and audio recorded sessions. Adolescents enjoyed the level of autonomy and their depth of involvement in the process. They were eager to be involved, and they appreciated being “heard.” Adolescents found it easy to build rapport online amongst each other, and with the facilitator. There were also challenges, the main one being young people’s, and facilitator’s, histories of didactic communication. Understanding the strengths and limitations of online co-development processes is crucial, to strengthen them.

Gender-Related Violence: What Can a Concept Do?

This paper explains the logic for using the concept of gender-related violence (GRV) as a broad category that problematises homophobia, transphobia and the policing of gender norms and the gender binary, as well as gender-based violence—understood as primarily violence against women and girls (VAWG). It then evaluates the utility of this concept and its capacity to introduce theoretical refinement to the study of gendered violence, by reviewing its reception within a large international feminist project on gendered violence in the lives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge and understanding of forms of violence and discrimination among practitioners who have everyday contact with general populations of children and young people. It sought to improve their ability to identify and challenge sexist, sexualising, homophobic or transphobic language or behaviour, and their knowledge of how and when to refer children and young people to appropriate support. The paper reports my view of the contribution that the concept of gender-related violence made in each of the four project sites: Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. The findings are mixed: in Spain and the UK the concept seemed helpful, but in Italy and Ireland it was initially expected to be helpful but, in practice, a conceptualisation closer to gender-based violence plus homophobia was employed. It is tentatively concluded that where LGBTQIA+ rights were well-established as well as the problematisation of VAWG, this framework was successful, but that it was less successful in more heteronormative sites where homophobia was less problematised. It is suggested that, as a concept, GRV can make a valuable intervention in sites like the former.

Men’s efforts to tackle men’s violence: negotiating gendered privileges and norms in movement and practice spaces

The involvement of men in efforts to challenge men’s violence is a crucial component for eradicating gender-based violence (GBV) and for disrupting the continued responsibilisation of women and survivors for addressing the problem at various scales. But as men’s participation in the field has evolved and become increasingly professionalised, so tensions have emerged regarding what happens when men enter women-majority professional and movement anti-violence spaces. Via a feminist discourse analysis, this article explores how men active in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector and movement conceptualise and negotiate the challenges associated with the reproduction of patriarchal privilege in the context of their work or activism. Analysis points to how gender inequalities and masculine norms are both instrumentalised as well as entrenched, even when men ‘allies’ seek to challenge them. Moreover, findings indicate how men’s often elevated status in anti-violence practice and movement spaces can be used to resource a type of ‘entrepreneurial masculinity’ which obstructs structural change as regards gendered norms and expectations. This article offers an empirical and theoretical contribution to the expanding literature on men’s role(s) in the prevention of men’s violence against women and minoritised genders, and the ways in which gendered privilege operates therein.

Socioeconomic Factors Causing Domestic Violence Against Women and Its Legal Consequences: A Study of Quetta, Pakistan

Due to the impunity, concealment, stigma, and shame surrounding it, violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most pervasive, ongoing, destructive, and systemic human rights abuses in our time. This paper describes the phenomenon and factors of domestic violence among women living in Balochistan. The current research was carried out on the studies and cases related to Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. For this study, secondary data has been organized and analyzed by systematic review analysis technique to present a concise picture of domestic violence in Quetta. The study concludes that violence generally takes the form of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, including intimate partner violence (battery, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide), sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, and cyber-harassment). It occurs everywhere, regardless of a person's age, race, religion, or socioeconomic level. There is a strong desire to mobilize society's sectors to formulate domestic violence policy. Both women and men need to promote non-violent relationships in private and public life. Moreover, there is a need to assure the implication of The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act of 2012 in related institutions to avoid violence against women.

The stated preferences of community-based volunteers for roles in the prevention of violence against women and girls in Ghana: A discrete choice analysis

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation with substantial health-related consequences. Interventions to prevent VAWG, often implemented at the community level by volunteers, have been proven effective and cost-effective. One such intervention is the Rural Response System in Ghana, a volunteer-run program which hires community based action teams (COMBATs) to sensitise the community about VAWG and to provide counselling services in rural areas. To increase programmatic impact and maximise the retention of these volunteers, it is important to understand their preferences for incentives.We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) among 107 COMBAT volunteers, in two Ghanaian districts in 2018, to examine their stated preferences for financial and non-financial incentives that could be offered in their roles. Each respondent answered 12 choice tasks, and each task comprised four hypothetical volunteering positions. The first three positions included different levels of five role attributes. The fourth option was to cease volunteering as a COMBAT volunteer (opt-out).We found that, overall, COMBAT volunteers cared most for receiving training in volunteering skills and three-monthly supervisions. These results were consistent between multinomial logit, and mixed multinomial logit models. A three-class latent class model fitted our data best, identifying subgroups of COMBAT workers with distinct preferences for incentives: The younger ‘go getters’; older ‘veterans’, and the ‘balanced bunch’ encompassing the majority of the sample. The opt-out was chosen only 4 (0.3%) times.Only one other study quantitatively examined the preferences for incentives of VAWG-prevention volunteers using a DCE (Kasteng et al., 2016). Understanding preferences and how they vary between sub-groups can be leveraged by programme managers to improve volunteer motivation and retention. As effective VAWG-prevention programmes are scaled up from small pilots to the national level, data on volunteer preferences may be useful in improving volunteer retention.

Countermapping SDG 5 to address violence against women and girls in the favelas of Maré, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ABSTRACT Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains one of the most significant problems affecting women globally with its elimination being central to achieving SDG 5 on gender equality. While information on its prevalence is increasing globally, this is often at the national scale with limited local-level data. Responding to feminist critiques of SDG 5 and target 5.2 in terms of the importance of capturing more nuanced data on grassroots women’s experiences as agents rather than victims, this paper reflects on countermapping VAWG in the favelas of Maré in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Drawing on countermapping methodologies, it analyses a series of countermaps highlighting the prevalence of VAWG, but also the need to report and resist it locally. Only by revealing the complexity of VAWG and women’s practices to deal with it can such violence be truly eliminated in order to meet SDG 5 and target 5.2.

Pacific-based newspaper reporting on violence against women and girls

ABSTRACT Pacific Island women and girls experience violence at over double the global average rate, partly because violence is often legitimised as an expression of male power. This article presents a critical discourse analytic study of newspaper reporting on violence against women and girls (VAWG) in leading English-language newspapers from 11 Pacific Island nations. Using content analysis, I mapped the relative frequency of reporting on VAWG and gender equality in 870 articles published between June 2017 and May 2019. I then examined how Pacific news reporting frames VAWG, and how VAWG-focused articles (n = 720) use various forms of reporting long considered problematic, including downplaying violence and perpetuating rape myths. This study draws on an extensive body of research into VAWG reporting, but documents for the first time how Pacific news reporting needs to change in order to challenge the norms underpinning VAWG in the region.

Quantitative evaluation of Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity) intervention to prevent violence against women in Tajikistan

ABSTRACT Background Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a major problem in Tajikistan, driven by conservative gender norms, the culturally ascribed position of young women, and poverty. Objective We evaluated Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity), an intervention developed with the aim of reducing VAWG through a combination of gender norm change, communication skills, and income-generating activities (IGA) over a period of 30 months. Methods The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection. Eighty families from four villages were enrolled in the intervention and surveyed at baseline and on three subsequent occasions. From these families, 134 women and 102 men were interviewed at baseline, 153 women and 89 men 8 months later, 153 women and 93 men 15 months later, and 143 women and 82 men, 30 months after the baseline. Generalised random effects regression models were used to assess the trend in proportions or mean score over time. Results Over the 30 months, the proportion of women and men earning in the past month rose from 17.9% to 56.6% and 44.1% to 72%, respectively. Women and men’s gender attitudes became significantly less patriarchal, and they reported less harmful gender norms in the community. Women and men reported less male controlling behaviour and greater woman involvement in decision-making. Women’s reports of experience of emotional, physical, and sexual IPV significantly reduced. Depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts reduced significantly for men and women, and self-rated health improved. Conclusions The quantitative findings are confirmed by the findings of the qualitative research and monitoring data. They demonstrate that Zindagii Shoista is a very promising intervention for strengthening gender relations, reducing IPV, and improving mental health and socio-economic circumstances for younger married women and their families in Tajikistan.

A Gendered EU Settlement Scheme: Intersectional Oppression of Immigrant Women in a Post-Brexit Britain

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is a transitory immigration regime rolled out by the Home Office as part of the measures for the UK withdrawing from the EU. More can be said about whether the EUSS can truly be hailed an overall “success”, as per official Government messaging, several years after its initial introduction. This paper evaluates this by considering two case studies of vulnerable immigrant women required to apply to the Scheme to successfully remain in the UK after the transition period: those at risk of or facing violence against women and girls (VAWG), and non-EU family members (NEFMs) of EU citizens. Using the theories of intersectionality and vulnerability, the paper outlines how gender and immigration status intersect to make women more vulnerable by virtue of the legal framework of the EUSS and its criteria, arguing that it entrenches intersectional oppression faced uniquely by these women.

Risk and Protective Factors for Violence Against Women and Girls Living in Conflict and Natural Disaster-Affected Settings: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review provides an overview of existing research on risk and protective factors associated with violence against women and girls (VAWG) in conflict and natural disaster settings. PubMed (Medline); PsycINFO; Scopus; and Cochrane Center trials registrar were searched as well as relevant internet repositories for VAWG research. The inclusion criteria covered studies that were published between January 1995 and December 2020, documented risk and/or protective factors for VAWG in conflict or natural disaster-affected settings and included primary or secondary data analysis. A total of 1,413 records were initially identified and 86 articles (covering 77 studies) were included in the final analysis. The findings show that many preexisting risk factors for VAWG are exacerbated in armed conflict and natural disaster-affected settings. Poverty and economic stress, men's substance abuse, exposure to violence, changing gender roles in contexts of inequitable gender norms, and a lack of social support are some of the risk factors associated with male perpetration or female experience of violence. In addition, risk factors specific to experiences during armed conflict or in a natural disaster (e.g., displacement, insecurity or congestion in and around displacement camps, militarization of society, killing of family, destruction of property, etc.) are associated with higher prevalence of VAWG in these contexts.

Systematic review of food insecurity and violence against women and girls: Mixed methods findings from low- and middle-income settings.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a global human rights and public health concern. Food insecurity is a sign of severe poverty, and likely to heighten women's vulnerability to VAWG and men's perpetration of it. However, the extent of the association and the multiple pathways between food insecurity and VAWG are not well understood. We systematically assessed peer reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature to explore this in low- and middle-income countries. Fixed effects meta-analysis was used to synthesize quantitative evidence. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. From a search of 732 titles, we identified 23 quantitative and 19 qualitative or mixed-methods peer-reviewed manuscripts. In a meta-analysis of 21 cross-sectional studies with 20,378 participants, food insecurity was associated with doubled odds of reported VAWG (odds ratio [OR] = 2.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.82-3.10). This finding was consistent for both women's experience or male perpetration of VAWG. Qualitative and mixed-methods papers offered insight that underlying conditions of inequitable gender norms, economic deprivation, and social isolation frame both food insecurity and VAWG. Food insecurity may trigger survival behaviors due to household stress and lack of meeting expected gender roles, which leads to VAWG. VAWG exposure may lead to food insecurity if women are more impoverished after leaving a violent household. Potential protective factors include financial stability, the involvement of men in VAWG programming, transformation of gender norms, and supporting women to develop new networks and social ties. Strong evidence exists for a relationship between food security and VAWG. Future funding should target causal directions and preventive options through longitudinal and interventional research. Strategies to ensure households have access to sufficient food and safe relationships are urgently needed to prevent VAWG.