"I Am from the Ghetto, I Am Black, I Live in the Slum and They Think: Why Bother with Her?" - Racism in Seeking Help Experiences for Domestic Violence in Brazil.
Stephanie Pereira, Lilia Blima Schraiber, Ana Flávia Pires Lucas d'Oliveira
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite the majority of Brazilians identifying as black, racial disparities are significant. Black women encounter disproportionate difficulties, with greater rates of homicide, unemployment, and poverty. After the Maria da Penha Law (2006), which is regarded as one of the most comprehensive laws to address domestic violence, there has been a notable increase in femicide among black women and a decrease in cases among white women. This paper aims to analyze the differences between white and black survivors of domestic violence in terms of the access and support they received from the violence against women multi agency network in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. To this end, in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with nine white and nine black women who were seeking help in the justice system in June of 2018. The IDI were analyzed under critical path and structural racism theories, in order to understand how inequality markers such as race might affect the institutional response to the survivor's help seeking. The results indicated that black women received less information and support while seeking institutional help, as they faced more obstacles compared to white women. Among the interviewees critical paths, the access to the services was denied by providers 13 times for black women in contrast with 1 access denial for white women-also considering cases that discontinued the needed assistance due to institutional violence. The observed obstacles lived by black women in the multiagency network not only resulted in the path for these women toward support being longer but in many cases being repeated unsuccessfully multiple times. This study concludes that thus all women face obstacles while seeking help in formal institutions, black women may face greater barriers in this path due to how structural racism is reproduced in the services that should guarantee rights.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Interpersonal Violence is devoted to the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of interpersonal violence. It provides a forum of discussion of the concerns and activities of professionals and researchers working in domestic violence, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault, physical child abuse, and violent crime. With its dual focus on victims and victimizers, the journal will publish material that addresses the causes, effects, treatment, and prevention of all types of violence. JIV only publishes reports on individual studies in which the scientific method is applied to the study of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Research may use qualitative or quantitative methods. JIV does not publish reviews of research, individual case studies, or the conceptual analysis of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Outcome data for program or intervention evaluations must include a comparison or control group.