- · This book offers a critical overview of established and emerging manifestations of domestic violence across Europe.
- · By showcasing the most effective responses formulated in Europe and exploring innovative ways to research and understand domestic violence, this book is a crucial resource for all those with responsibility for implementing social policy and good practice.
Mr. Charles Flanagan T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality, has today launched a new collaborative publication “Responding to Domestic Violence: Emerging Challenges for Policy, Practice and Research in Europe” at Trinity College Dublin part-hosted by Cosc – the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
In launching the book Minister Flanagan stated,
“Like the editors and chapter authors of the book, I too recognise that “the process of building the connectivity between evidence and action is a complex one… This complexity needs to be embraced as an opportunity, and not perceived simply as a problem.””
This book (published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers) was co-edited by Stephanie Holt (Trinity College Dublin), John Devaney (formerly Queen’s University Belfast & now is Centenary Chair in Social Work, University of Edinburgh), and Carolina Overlien (Stockholm University and Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS).
This book offers a critical overview of established and emerging manifestations of domestic violence across Europe.
It describes how countries within and outside the EU are responding to the problem in policy, practice and research. Eminent academics and professionals from a range of European countries share their findings from new ground breaking victim surveys, and weigh up the legal, social and healthcare challenges. The issues addressed include:
· the cultural challenges of combating abuse forms most prevalent in migrant communities such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage;
· emerging problems such as child-to-parent violence, teenage relationship violence and digital intimate partner abuse; and
· barriers to help-seeking faced by marginalised victims such as LGBTQ and older people.
By showcasing the most effective responses formulated in Europe and exploring innovative ways to research and understand domestic violence, this book is a crucial resource for all those with responsibility for implementing social policy and good practice.
Minister Flanagan stated,
“The protection of both women, men and children from domestic violence and abuse remain primary concerns for me. Domestic Violence is an evil that continues to plague our society. Its impact on victims is devastating.”
Minister Flanagan added,
“This book provides a much-needed platform to discuss what we understand to be the key issues, debates and challenges, for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners alike, in domestic violence in a European context and, for this, we should be extremely grateful. It is indeed a timely publication.”
This book seeks to promote the evidence base informing policy and practice developments relating to domestic violence in Europe at both the level of individual countries and as a continent.
A thread throughout this book is the necessity to continue to frame domestic violence as a human rights issue. In this way, it is understood as a priority for States across Europe, regardless of governmental or political positions at an individual country level.
Perhaps most importantly, this book points to the need to make research, policy and practice inform each other, intertwine and cooperate in ways that are simultaneously effective and beneficial, both in terms of prevention as well as support and treatment for those in need.
Note for Editors
Drawn from text of the book:
The impetus for this book arose from the inaugural European Conference on Domestic Violence (part supported by Cosc) held at Queen’s University Belfast in September 2015. Many of the chapters of the now book being an elaboration of papers delivered then.
The conference drew together over 500 delegates from 32 countries involved in research, policy and practice, and this book similarly reflects a sample of those contributions across the three areas of interest, with contributions from across Europe. The conference was arranged in response to a need to gather together European researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in the field of domestic violence, as there are limited platforms and meeting points, on a European level, where these discussions can take place. Although there is plenty to learn from each other’s work, prior to 2015 there was no European journal on domestic violence, no standing conference on domestic violence in Europe, and no edited book on European perspectives on domestic violence. The intent with this book was to fill part of that void, and to contribute to a growing and vibrant debate about how to understand and respond to domestic violence in all its myriad forms.
In collaboration with our contributors, this book provides a much-needed platform to discuss what we understand to be the key issues, debates and challenges, for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners alike, in domestic violence in a European context.
KEY THEMES EMERGING:
· To date there has been a limited focus on domestic abuse through a European lens - Europe is not a single entity, and even within political institutions such as the EU, there is a wide disparity in terms of how the issue of domestic violence is conceived of and responded to.
· This book seeks to promote the evidence base informing policy and practice developments relating to domestic violence in Europe at both the level of individual countries and as a continent.
· The triangular relationship between research, policy and practice is neither always evident nor is it linear, particularly where each sphere is at a different developmental stage with differential levels of history and sophistication. This is particularly evident in the field of domestic violence
· The rising sophistication of technology brings new challenges for addressing violence in relationships, while fluid borders, movement and migration make women and children particularly vulnerable to violence in the form of, for example, trafficking and sexual exploitation.
· A thread throughout this book is the necessity to continue to frame domestic violence as a human rights issue. In this way, it is understood as a priority for States across Europe, regardless of governmental or political positions at an individual country level.
· This book calls for us to ‘listen louder’ to the views and experiences of children and young people, recognising children as ‘experts’ in their own lives. Engaging in the practice of ‘listening louder’ empowers us to focus on those who are or have been excluded, unseen or unheard in the domestic violence debate.
· Another theme expressed is the need to incorporate an intersectional analysis to facilitate an understanding of how those who experience domestic violence are also shaped by the interaction of different social positions, for example ethnicity, gender, class, age and sexuality, and, indeed, by the differing social and political contexts within which they live.
· We need to step back from viewing domestic violence as just a criminal justice issue. While there is a need to have a well-functioning legal system to both protect victims and hold perpetrators to account, the contributions in this book highlight that all sectors of society must see domestic violence as important and relevant. The criminal justice system cannot, by itself, reduce the prevalence and incidence of domestic violence, and may even make it more complicated to respond in ways that victims find helpful.
· Perhaps most importantly, this book points to the need to make research, policy and practice inform each other, intertwine and cooperate in ways that are simultaneously effective and beneficial, both in terms of prevention as well as support and treatment for those in need.