Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16450964571869
A. Cremers, M. Hadley
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in mitigation efforts that put women at increased risk of gender-based violence. Stay-at-home requirements increased abuse at home. Early in the pandemic Spain and Argentina issued policies to address such violence at home. This policy analysis uses the ‘What’s the problem represented to be’ approach to shed light on the different assumptions, intentions and problem framings in both governments’ policy responses. Drawing on published policy documents we found both disparities and similarities in the way that gender-based violence is represented as a problem. Four key findings emerged; (1) gender-based violence is not clearly defined in the policies and the terminology has a partially (de)gendered discourse while focusing on female ‘victims’ of violence; (2) the role of men as perpetrators is ‘silenced’; (3) the problem construction weighs exclusively on the aftermath of the violence, and; (4) both countries address violence against LGBTI+ in different ways. Our recommendations are for policymakers to reconsider the focus of their policies in these respects to reduce the harm that naming and framing of gender-based violence can inflict. We recommend attention to the root causes of gender-based violence to result in a more holistic and sustainable approach in policy development.Key messagesThe WPR approach to analysis of GBV policies during pandemics exposes underlying biases that avert attention from the root causes of GBV.In order to reduce the prevalence of GBV, Argentina and Spain could redirect the focus of their COVID-19 policies away from women as ‘victims’ and towards the perpetrators of GBV.
{"title":"Problem framing of increased gender-based violence by national governments of Argentina and Spain during COVID-19: an interpretive policy analysis","authors":"A. Cremers, M. Hadley","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16450964571869","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16450964571869","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in mitigation efforts that put women at increased risk of gender-based violence. Stay-at-home requirements increased abuse at home. Early in the pandemic Spain and Argentina issued policies to address such violence at home. This policy analysis uses the ‘What’s the problem represented to be’ approach to shed light on the different assumptions, intentions and problem framings in both governments’ policy responses. Drawing on published policy documents we found both disparities and similarities in the way that gender-based violence is represented as a problem. Four key findings emerged; (1) gender-based violence is not clearly defined in the policies and the terminology has a partially (de)gendered discourse while focusing on female ‘victims’ of violence; (2) the role of men as perpetrators is ‘silenced’; (3) the problem construction weighs exclusively on the aftermath of the violence, and; (4) both countries address violence against LGBTI+ in different ways. Our recommendations are for policymakers to reconsider the focus of their policies in these respects to reduce the harm that naming and framing of gender-based violence can inflict. We recommend attention to the root causes of gender-based violence to result in a more holistic and sustainable approach in policy development.Key messagesThe WPR approach to analysis of GBV policies during pandemics exposes underlying biases that avert attention from the root causes of GBV.In order to reduce the prevalence of GBV, Argentina and Spain could redirect the focus of their COVID-19 policies away from women as ‘victims’ and towards the perpetrators of GBV.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16371459419254
Ellen Daly, Olivia Smith, Hannah Bows, Jennifer Brown, James Chalmers, S. Cowan, M. Horvath, F. Leverick, J. Lovett, V. Munro, D. Willmott
This commentary responds to claims that research by Cheryl Thomas ‘shows’ no problem with rape myths in English and Welsh juries. We critique the claim on the basis of ambiguous survey design, a false distinction between ‘real’ jurors and other research participants, the conflation of attitudes in relation to abstract versus applied rape myths, and misleading interpretation of the data. Ultimately, we call for a balanced appraisal of individual studies by contextualising them against the wider literature.Key messagesThomas (2020) argued that her research showed rape myths do not influence juries.We critique Thomas’ claim because the research was not designed to ask about influence on juries, there are several methodological limitations, and the data actually reveal ambivalence about rape myths on the part of many jurors.
{"title":"Myths about myths? A commentary on Thomas (2020) and the question of jury rape myth acceptance","authors":"Ellen Daly, Olivia Smith, Hannah Bows, Jennifer Brown, James Chalmers, S. Cowan, M. Horvath, F. Leverick, J. Lovett, V. Munro, D. Willmott","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16371459419254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16371459419254","url":null,"abstract":"This commentary responds to claims that research by Cheryl Thomas ‘shows’ no problem with rape myths in English and Welsh juries. We critique the claim on the basis of ambiguous survey design, a false distinction between ‘real’ jurors and other research participants, the conflation of attitudes in relation to abstract versus applied rape myths, and misleading interpretation of the data. Ultimately, we call for a balanced appraisal of individual studies by contextualising them against the wider literature.Key messagesThomas (2020) argued that her research showed rape myths do not influence juries.We critique Thomas’ claim because the research was not designed to ask about influence on juries, there are several methodological limitations, and the data actually reveal ambivalence about rape myths on the part of many jurors.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16397664798942
Ben Donagh, C. Bradbury‐Jones, Julie Taylor
Technology is an ever-increasing part of most people’s lives and it has been crucial for the delivery of support by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paradoxically, this same technology has provided perpetrators with new and growing opportunities to continue or escalate their abusive behaviours. This article draws on the experiences of a specialist DVA service for children and young people (CYP) in the United Kingdom reflecting on the use of technology in service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied a safety systems approach – a failure modes and analysis (FMEA) to analyse the nature and impacts of service responses. The FMEA shed light on the risks within the environment in which children and young people engage with remote, digital-enabled support. Practitioners, for example, have been unable to determine potential ‘lurking’, whereby other people, including the abusive parent or partner, are present within the room, but out of sight. The FMEA generated 13 ‘corrective actions’ that will be helpful to specialist practitioners supporting children and young people experiencing DVA and to operational managers modifying current services and designing those for the future.Key messagesTechnology was crucial for the delivery of support to CYP during COVID-19.There have been both benefits and risk to the use of technology during the pandemic, however not all risks warrant the same level of concern or response.A FMEA has highlighted suggested corrective actions for specialist DVA services using technology to support CYP.
{"title":"The use of technology to support children and young people experiencing domestic violence and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: a failure modes and effects analysis","authors":"Ben Donagh, C. Bradbury‐Jones, Julie Taylor","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16397664798942","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16397664798942","url":null,"abstract":"Technology is an ever-increasing part of most people’s lives and it has been crucial for the delivery of support by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paradoxically, this same technology has provided perpetrators with new and growing opportunities to continue or escalate their abusive behaviours. This article draws on the experiences of a specialist DVA service for children and young people (CYP) in the United Kingdom reflecting on the use of technology in service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied a safety systems approach – a failure modes and analysis (FMEA) to analyse the nature and impacts of service responses. The FMEA shed light on the risks within the environment in which children and young people engage with remote, digital-enabled support. Practitioners, for example, have been unable to determine potential ‘lurking’, whereby other people, including the abusive parent or partner, are present within the room, but out of sight. The FMEA generated 13 ‘corrective actions’ that will be helpful to specialist practitioners supporting children and young people experiencing DVA and to operational managers modifying current services and designing those for the future.Key messagesTechnology was crucial for the delivery of support to CYP during COVID-19.There have been both benefits and risk to the use of technology during the pandemic, however not all risks warrant the same level of concern or response.A FMEA has highlighted suggested corrective actions for specialist DVA services using technology to support CYP.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16414052790822
Katie Smith, Sarah Davidge
COVID-19 quickly changed the context of domestic abuse in England. Within weeks of the first COVID-19 related death, the country was in lockdown. A quick response was essential for understanding the needs of survivors. With limited time to establish new data collection mechanisms, the role of administrative data was central in shaping the response by the Women’s Aid Federation of England. This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using administrative data to understand and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse in England, using analysis by Women’s Aid of administrative data as a case study. The article discusses the challenges, such as the complexity of analysing a longitudinal administrative dataset, and the need for increased skills and capacity within the NGO research environment. We also reflect on ethical considerations in light of the context of frontline workers responding to the pandemic, the opportunities for collaboration with other sector partners and academics and the benefits of being able to undertake reactive analysis to inform policy. The article concludes that our access to administrative data bolstered our ability to respond expediently to the pandemic, and achieve the long-term benefits of the partnerships that we built during this time.Key messagesAdministrative data offered Women’s Aid a timely and ethical approach to understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal impact on survivors or the services that support them.The nature of administrative data creates unique challenges for researchers as well as opportunities for relevant, impactful research.More resources, collaboration and research are needed to understand administrative data sources held by NGOs.
{"title":"The role of NGO administrative data in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse","authors":"Katie Smith, Sarah Davidge","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16414052790822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16414052790822","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 quickly changed the context of domestic abuse in England. Within weeks of the first COVID-19 related death, the country was in lockdown. A quick response was essential for understanding the needs of survivors. With limited time to establish new data collection mechanisms, the role of administrative data was central in shaping the response by the Women’s Aid Federation of England. This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using administrative data to understand and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse in England, using analysis by Women’s Aid of administrative data as a case study. The article discusses the challenges, such as the complexity of analysing a longitudinal administrative dataset, and the need for increased skills and capacity within the NGO research environment. We also reflect on ethical considerations in light of the context of frontline workers responding to the pandemic, the opportunities for collaboration with other sector partners and academics and the benefits of being able to undertake reactive analysis to inform policy. The article concludes that our access to administrative data bolstered our ability to respond expediently to the pandemic, and achieve the long-term benefits of the partnerships that we built during this time.Key messagesAdministrative data offered Women’s Aid a timely and ethical approach to understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal impact on survivors or the services that support them.The nature of administrative data creates unique challenges for researchers as well as opportunities for relevant, impactful research.More resources, collaboration and research are needed to understand administrative data sources held by NGOs.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16425827326483
Sophie Geoghegan-Fittall, Tina Skinner, B. Stanko
Over the last 40 years, academics, activists and policymakers have attempted to improve police and criminal justice (CJ) responses to rape, yet attrition in rape cases continues to rise (ONS, 2021). Rape attrition studies have increasingly scrutinised the CJ process, initially in smaller scale, local research (for example, Lees and Gregory, 1993) and more recently through national analysis of the CJ outcomes of police reported cases (for example, ONS, 2021). While this has greatly enhanced understanding of why cases may drop out, the focus has increasingly been on explaining attrition in the hope of improving CJ outcomes, rather than victim-survivors’ voices and what they want from the process. Similarly, to explore attrition at the police stage, surveys have been undertaken with officers to understand their attitudes, including rape myth acceptance (for example, Sleath and Bull, 2012); again, with a focus on improving substantive CJ outcomes. In this article we call for researchers, activists and policymakers to pause and reflect upon the political and ideological reasons behind a focus on particular research questions using particular methodologies; and whether there is a need for more victim-survivor centred, indeed person-centred, research and practice where the focus is more on procedural justice rather than substantive justice.Key messagesAnalysis of case files has indicated where rape and sexual assault cases drop out of the criminal justice system from reporting through to potential conviction, with most cases dropping out at the police phase (for example, Hester, 2013).Surveys explore rape myth acceptance among police officers’ (for example, Sleath and Bull, 2012).While some of these studies are mixed methods (for example, Kelly et al, 2005; Hester, 2013), the majority are quantitative and focused on substantive justice outcomes.What gains less attention in policing rape research is whether victim-survivors gain procedural justice within the criminal justice process, including fairness of treatment and attention to wellbeing.The impacts of being a police officer working with rape cases, in terms of burnout and staff welfare, has started to gain some attention (Foley and Massey, 2020) and potential impacts of this on the victim-survivor is starting to be evidenced (Anglioni, 2015).What is needed is to rethink what the CJS should be focused on and what research should be focused on: to move from a focus on substantive justice outcomes to procedural justice and person-centred practice.
{"title":"Feminism, power and politics in policing rape research: time for a paradigm shift","authors":"Sophie Geoghegan-Fittall, Tina Skinner, B. Stanko","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16425827326483","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16425827326483","url":null,"abstract":"Over the last 40 years, academics, activists and policymakers have attempted to improve police and criminal justice (CJ) responses to rape, yet attrition in rape cases continues to rise (ONS, 2021). Rape attrition studies have increasingly scrutinised the CJ process, initially in smaller scale, local research (for example, Lees and Gregory, 1993) and more recently through national analysis of the CJ outcomes of police reported cases (for example, ONS, 2021). While this has greatly enhanced understanding of why cases may drop out, the focus has increasingly been on explaining attrition in the hope of improving CJ outcomes, rather than victim-survivors’ voices and what they want from the process. Similarly, to explore attrition at the police stage, surveys have been undertaken with officers to understand their attitudes, including rape myth acceptance (for example, Sleath and Bull, 2012); again, with a focus on improving substantive CJ outcomes. In this article we call for researchers, activists and policymakers to pause and reflect upon the political and ideological reasons behind a focus on particular research questions using particular methodologies; and whether there is a need for more victim-survivor centred, indeed person-centred, research and practice where the focus is more on procedural justice rather than substantive justice.Key messagesAnalysis of case files has indicated where rape and sexual assault cases drop out of the criminal justice system from reporting through to potential conviction, with most cases dropping out at the police phase (for example, Hester, 2013).Surveys explore rape myth acceptance among police officers’ (for example, Sleath and Bull, 2012).While some of these studies are mixed methods (for example, Kelly et al, 2005; Hester, 2013), the majority are quantitative and focused on substantive justice outcomes.What gains less attention in policing rape research is whether victim-survivors gain procedural justice within the criminal justice process, including fairness of treatment and attention to wellbeing.The impacts of being a police officer working with rape cases, in terms of burnout and staff welfare, has started to gain some attention (Foley and Massey, 2020) and potential impacts of this on the victim-survivor is starting to be evidenced (Anglioni, 2015).What is needed is to rethink what the CJS should be focused on and what research should be focused on: to move from a focus on substantive justice outcomes to procedural justice and person-centred practice.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16432014139971
Simon Lapierre, Alex Vincent, M. Brunet, Michèle Frenette, Isabelle Côté
This article presents findings from a study that investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence shelters’ policies and practices. This study was conducted in partnership with feminist organisations in two regions in the Quebec, Canada. Qualitative data were collected from nine domestic violence shelters, using a web-based questionnaire. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo. The research findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for shelters, as they have had to ensure women’s and children’s safety while preventing the spread of the virus. In this context, they have had to adapt their services and practices, and it has sometimes been difficult to maintain their feminist approach. Nonetheless, shelters have been creative and have developed multiple strategies to overcome these challenges and to ensure women’s and children’s access to services. The research findings contribute to our understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight the essential role that these organisations have played to ensure women’s and children’s safety at a time when they have been particularly vulnerable.Key messagesThe COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for shelters, as they have had to ensure women’s and children’s safety while preventing the spread of the virus.In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, shelters have had to adapt their services and practices, and it has been difficult to maintain their feminist approach.Shelters have been creative and have developed multiple strategies to ensure women’s and children’s access to services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
{"title":"‘We have tried to remain warm despite the rules.’ Domestic violence and COVID-19: implications for shelters’ policies and practices","authors":"Simon Lapierre, Alex Vincent, M. Brunet, Michèle Frenette, Isabelle Côté","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16432014139971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16432014139971","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents findings from a study that investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence shelters’ policies and practices. This study was conducted in partnership with feminist organisations in two regions in the Quebec, Canada. Qualitative data were collected from nine domestic violence shelters, using a web-based questionnaire. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo. The research findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for shelters, as they have had to ensure women’s and children’s safety while preventing the spread of the virus. In this context, they have had to adapt their services and practices, and it has sometimes been difficult to maintain their feminist approach. Nonetheless, shelters have been creative and have developed multiple strategies to overcome these challenges and to ensure women’s and children’s access to services. The research findings contribute to our understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight the essential role that these organisations have played to ensure women’s and children’s safety at a time when they have been particularly vulnerable.Key messagesThe COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for shelters, as they have had to ensure women’s and children’s safety while preventing the spread of the virus.In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, shelters have had to adapt their services and practices, and it has been difficult to maintain their feminist approach.Shelters have been creative and have developed multiple strategies to ensure women’s and children’s access to services during the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16439111624553
Hannah Bows, H. King, F. Measham
Crime and safety at UK music festivals is a subject of growing concern for festival management, police and festival-goers, bolstered by increasing media coverage of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault. To date, however, there has been limited evidence regarding festival-goers’ experiences and perspectives concerning safety, particularly in relation to gender-based violence at music festivals. Using data from a mixed methods pilot study, this article presents the findings of a self-selecting survey of 450 festival-goers which asked respondents about their perceptions of safety and experiences of different crime and harms including gender-based violence at UK music festivals. The findings reveal that most respondents report feeling safe at festivals, but various personal, social and environmental factors may increase or reduce these feelings of safety, and these are gendered. Similarly, although experiences of acquisitive crime, hate crime and stalking were low and broadly similar for women and men, a third of women experienced sexual harassment and 8% experienced sexual assault – significantly higher than the reported levels among male respondents. We argue that festivals must work proactively with key stakeholders and agencies, as well as artists and patrons, to develop clear policies and initiatives to prevent sexual violence.Key messagesThe first UK survey of festival-goers’ perceptions of safety shows that most report feeling safe but are dependent on different social, personal and environmental factors.Experiences of safety and crime are gendered and women in our study were significantly more likely to experience sexual harassment and sexual assault than men.Festivals must work with key stakeholders to take greater action to prevent sexual violence.
{"title":"Perceptions of safety and experiences of gender-based violence at UK music festivals","authors":"Hannah Bows, H. King, F. Measham","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16439111624553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16439111624553","url":null,"abstract":"Crime and safety at UK music festivals is a subject of growing concern for festival management, police and festival-goers, bolstered by increasing media coverage of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault. To date, however, there has been limited evidence regarding festival-goers’ experiences and perspectives concerning safety, particularly in relation to gender-based violence at music festivals. Using data from a mixed methods pilot study, this article presents the findings of a self-selecting survey of 450 festival-goers which asked respondents about their perceptions of safety and experiences of different crime and harms including gender-based violence at UK music festivals. The findings reveal that most respondents report feeling safe at festivals, but various personal, social and environmental factors may increase or reduce these feelings of safety, and these are gendered. Similarly, although experiences of acquisitive crime, hate crime and stalking were low and broadly similar for women and men, a third of women experienced sexual harassment and 8% experienced sexual assault – significantly higher than the reported levels among male respondents. We argue that festivals must work proactively with key stakeholders and agencies, as well as artists and patrons, to develop clear policies and initiatives to prevent sexual violence.Key messagesThe first UK survey of festival-goers’ perceptions of safety shows that most report feeling safe but are dependent on different social, personal and environmental factors.Experiences of safety and crime are gendered and women in our study were significantly more likely to experience sexual harassment and sexual assault than men.Festivals must work with key stakeholders to take greater action to prevent sexual violence.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16436467287647
C. Barlow
In December 2015, the criminal offence of coercive control was introduced in England and Wales. Occurring at a similar time was the increased widespread usage of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) in domestic abuse cases, with many UK based police forces and international jurisdictions, such as Australia and the US, encouraging their mandatory usage. Using empirical data gathered in one police force area in the south of England, this article examines the extent to which coercive control is able to be captured by BWCs, exploring police officer and victim/survivor perceptions and experiences. The findings highlight concerns with the extent to which BWCs are able to capture the hidden nature of coercive control and the ways in which the footage could have unintended consequences for victim/survivors, particularly minoritised women.Key messagesBWCs are able to capture what is ‘visible’, however, coercive control is mostly ‘invisible’.Police officers viewed BWC footage as a way of ‘covering their backs’ in domestic abuse cases, particularly when victim/survivors did not want to pursue a prosecution. This leads to questions as to whose interests are being served by the increased mandatory usage of BWCs in domestic abuse cases.Victim/survivors voiced concerns with how women are able to represent themselves on camera in coercive control cases, often leading to unintended consequences for those women who do not present as ‘ideal victims’.
{"title":"‘How can you capture what is hidden?’ Police body-worn cameras and coercive control","authors":"C. Barlow","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16436467287647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16436467287647","url":null,"abstract":"In December 2015, the criminal offence of coercive control was introduced in England and Wales. Occurring at a similar time was the increased widespread usage of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) in domestic abuse cases, with many UK based police forces and international jurisdictions, such as Australia and the US, encouraging their mandatory usage. Using empirical data gathered in one police force area in the south of England, this article examines the extent to which coercive control is able to be captured by BWCs, exploring police officer and victim/survivor perceptions and experiences. The findings highlight concerns with the extent to which BWCs are able to capture the hidden nature of coercive control and the ways in which the footage could have unintended consequences for victim/survivors, particularly minoritised women.Key messagesBWCs are able to capture what is ‘visible’, however, coercive control is mostly ‘invisible’.Police officers viewed BWC footage as a way of ‘covering their backs’ in domestic abuse cases, particularly when victim/survivors did not want to pursue a prosecution. This leads to questions as to whose interests are being served by the increased mandatory usage of BWCs in domestic abuse cases.Victim/survivors voiced concerns with how women are able to represent themselves on camera in coercive control cases, often leading to unintended consequences for those women who do not present as ‘ideal victims’.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16460622083652
J. B. Forry, J. Kirabira, Benedict Akimana, Madrine Nakawuki, N. Gumisiriza, R. Ssebuufu, S. Ashaba
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent global pandemic associated with multidimensional health-related effects. In the fight against the spread of this novel pandemic, the majority have been living under restrictive conditions during its related lockdown that has created a conducive environment for gender-based violence (GBV). Our study aimed to ascertain the burden and determinants of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown and curfew (CPLC) in Uganda.Methods: We conducted a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study in Bushenyi-Ishaka municipality, southwestern Uganda in May, 2020. This study involved 339 adult participants regardless of their gender or ethnicity. Only 12 potential respondents declined to participate in this survey.Results: The prevalence of GBV during the CPLC was 42 per cent. The majority (57%) of victims were women. More than half (54%) of the victims and survivors of GBV attributed the violence to the lockdown. The determinants of GBV included being married, using substances of abuse and having financial problems.Conclusion: The prevalence of GBV skyrocketed during the CPLC in Uganda when compared to the period prior to the pandemic. Women were significantly more affected in all aspects of GBV. Therefore, we recommend developing targeted behavioural change communication strategies based upon our findings.Key messagesThe main strength of this study was the fact that it was the first of its kind to be conducted in a low-income country under the unique circumstances that is, the CPLC.The other strength of this study was the comprehensiveness of its research subject that is, GBV, an ongoing pandemic since time immemorial, is rarely a focus of most studies in this particular field with the majority of these studies usually focusing on intimate partner violence which is just one type of GBV.Generally, GBV is a sensitive topic in most cultures and societies where the majority of people aren’t willing to talk about it which creates an atmosphere of stigma and the associated discrimination that could have also resulted from GBV being viewed as a sensitive and taboo topic by these participants.
{"title":"Gender-based violence and its determinants during the COVID-19 lockdown in a low-income country: a cross-sectional survey","authors":"J. B. Forry, J. Kirabira, Benedict Akimana, Madrine Nakawuki, N. Gumisiriza, R. Ssebuufu, S. Ashaba","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16460622083652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16460622083652","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent global pandemic associated with multidimensional health-related effects. In the fight against the spread of this novel pandemic, the majority have been living under restrictive conditions during its related lockdown that has created a conducive environment for gender-based violence (GBV). Our study aimed to ascertain the burden and determinants of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown and curfew (CPLC) in Uganda.Methods: We conducted a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study in Bushenyi-Ishaka municipality, southwestern Uganda in May, 2020. This study involved 339 adult participants regardless of their gender or ethnicity. Only 12 potential respondents declined to participate in this survey.Results: The prevalence of GBV during the CPLC was 42 per cent. The majority (57%) of victims were women. More than half (54%) of the victims and survivors of GBV attributed the violence to the lockdown. The determinants of GBV included being married, using substances of abuse and having financial problems.Conclusion: The prevalence of GBV skyrocketed during the CPLC in Uganda when compared to the period prior to the pandemic. Women were significantly more affected in all aspects of GBV. Therefore, we recommend developing targeted behavioural change communication strategies based upon our findings.Key messagesThe main strength of this study was the fact that it was the first of its kind to be conducted in a low-income country under the unique circumstances that is, the CPLC.The other strength of this study was the comprehensiveness of its research subject that is, GBV, an ongoing pandemic since time immemorial, is rarely a focus of most studies in this particular field with the majority of these studies usually focusing on intimate partner violence which is just one type of GBV.Generally, GBV is a sensitive topic in most cultures and societies where the majority of people aren’t willing to talk about it which creates an atmosphere of stigma and the associated discrimination that could have also resulted from GBV being viewed as a sensitive and taboo topic by these participants.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1332/239868021x16425806897258
R. Spence, M. Horvath, Charlotte T. Dalton, Kari Davies
Research suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic reports of rapes and serious sexual offences to the authorities have declined while calls to domestic violence helplines have soared. This article focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on reporting to the police in cases of rape, serious sexual offences and domestic abuse in one police force in England. Data from the force’s crime reporting system was provided from 2018 to 2021, including over 10,000 reports of rapes and serious sexual offences and over 5,000 reports of domestic abuse. An Interrupted Time Series analysis was used to evaluate the impact of lockdown on reporting rates, with segmented regression to measure the changes in reporting before and after the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This article is the first of its kind to explore the impact of COVID-19 on sexual and domestic violence at more than an aggregate level, demonstrating how COVID-19 has had a variable impact on different groups of victims, and how stay at home orders specifically have impacted on reporting rates. These data provide novel and valuable insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reporting of sexual violence and domestic abuse.Key messagesRape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) reporting significantly decreased and reports of DA offences significantly increased during the pandemic, with periods of lockdown significantly exacerbating these trends.Sexual offences against children aged 13–15 and against strangers significantly decreased during the pandemic.
{"title":"Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on reporting of rape, serious sexual offences, and domestic abuse in one English police force","authors":"R. Spence, M. Horvath, Charlotte T. Dalton, Kari Davies","doi":"10.1332/239868021x16425806897258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1332/239868021x16425806897258","url":null,"abstract":"Research suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic reports of rapes and serious sexual offences to the authorities have declined while calls to domestic violence helplines have soared. This article focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on reporting to the police in cases of rape, serious sexual offences and domestic abuse in one police force in England. Data from the force’s crime reporting system was provided from 2018 to 2021, including over 10,000 reports of rapes and serious sexual offences and over 5,000 reports of domestic abuse. An Interrupted Time Series analysis was used to evaluate the impact of lockdown on reporting rates, with segmented regression to measure the changes in reporting before and after the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This article is the first of its kind to explore the impact of COVID-19 on sexual and domestic violence at more than an aggregate level, demonstrating how COVID-19 has had a variable impact on different groups of victims, and how stay at home orders specifically have impacted on reporting rates. These data provide novel and valuable insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reporting of sexual violence and domestic abuse.Key messagesRape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) reporting significantly decreased and reports of DA offences significantly increased during the pandemic, with periods of lockdown significantly exacerbating these trends.Sexual offences against children aged 13–15 and against strangers significantly decreased during the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":42166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gender-Based Violence","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66316704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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