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In April 2023, the U.K. government announced that misogyny would not be categorized as a hate crime stating that this "may prove more harmful than helpful." This article argues that before and beyond hate crime, misogyny, understood as the hatred of women (from the Greek misein [hate] gynae [women]), is the foundational logic of our legal, social, and political order in the west. This constitution of hate relies on the active dehumanization, exploitation, and ownership of women's bodies by the institution of white men through making women the object of the "colonization of the everyday." This exhausting hatred is enacted through repetitive, unceasing, and everyday violence toward women. Simply put, patriarchal, colonial, capitalist democracy is only sustained through violence against women. Hating women is, therefore, not a pathology of society but rather is the necessary existence condition of our legal-political constitution, clear to see yet hiding in plain sight. Misogyny ensures the precarity of women's bodies and women's status as trespassers in everyday spaces that are deliberately always already misogynistic. Given the foundational nature of misogyny, did the government have a point in excluding endemic violence against women from hate crime as "more harmful than helpful?" Is hate crime merely constitutive of a cultural matrix of misogyny? This paper enacts a decolonial feminist prism to disrupt the cultural condition of misogyny by thinking hate crime together with legal-political constitutional and cultural change. The paper explores violence against women set against the historical emergence of misogyny from Greek dehumanization, to medieval persecution of "witches," the muzzling and banning of women from public spaces, Shakespeare's "Taming," to contemporary femicide rates. Interrogating hate crime through this prism offers nuanced routes for how to disrupt the legal-political constitution of misogyny that is neither hidden nor new. Misogyny is enduring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, knife crime continues to be a persistent and worrying concern. Media campaigns are often used by police and anti-knife crime organisations in an attempt to discourage young people from picking up a weapon. Many focus on the potentially devastating consequences associated with carrying a weapon, with the aim of provoking fear and thus a deterrent effect. In this paper, we present the findings from two experimental studies exploring the effects of exposure to fear-based knife crime media campaigns on young people's intentions to engage in knife-carrying behaviour. Utilising a terror management theory perspective, in both studies we found that exposure to knife-related campaign imagery increased mortality salience, but there was no effect of campaign condition on willingness to carry a knife or on perceived benefits of knife-carrying. Although knife-related self-esteem/cultural worldviews predicted attitudes towards knife-carrying, such views did not moderate the effect of exposure to knife-related campaign imagery, and there was no effect of priming participants' to consider the value of behaving responsibly. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study is based on an in-depth thematic analysis of 20 interviews with German and Israeli adult survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) by religious authority figures (RAF). This paper aims to explore survivors' experiences within the Jewish ultra-Orthodox and Christian communities, as well as to draw comparisons between the abusive structures and disclosure in these two contexts. The results point to the complexity of CSA by RAF, which is embedded in the survivors' perceptions of themselves as emotionally and cognitively captured by the perpetrators who are a symbol of a parent or God and faith. The participants expressed great concern regarding disclosing the abuse against the backdrop of familial, cultural, and community inhibitors, such as fear of social stigmatization, inability to recognize the abuse, and the taboo of sexuality discourse. The survivors' traumatic experiences were intensified in light of negative social responses to disclosure and encounters with insensitive officials. A comparison of the cultures revealed differences regarding the nature of community life and educational institutions, which may have shaped the disclosure and recognition of the abuse. The study highlights the importance of comparative follow-up studies related to this phenomenon in order to examine its universal and unique cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing acknowledgment of intimate partner violence (IPV) as a potentially traumatic experience, there is a gap in research investigating women's perspectives of trauma related to their experiences of IPV from an intersectional lens. Intersectionality, which illuminates interconnected inequalities due to constructions of race, gender, sexuality, class, and culture, is particularly important for exploring the broader contexts of women's experiences of IPV and trauma. In response to this dearth in research, this paper presents qualitative findings from a constructivist grounded theory study of 15 women's experiences of IPV and trauma. To conceptualize IPV-related trauma from an intersectional lens, this study addressed the following research questions: (a) How do women who have experienced IPV understand and view trauma? (b) What do women who have experienced IPV indicate are experiences of trauma? and (c) How do women's differing identities, experiences of oppression, or other hardships or adversities relate to their experiences of IPV? Through analysis, six distinct themes were identified: (a) changing perceptions of trauma; (b) the pain of trauma; (c) fear, anxiety, and triggers; (d) lasting impact of trauma; (e) struggle for acceptance; and (f) growth and insight. Implications from these findings illustrate the pervasiveness of IPV and other forms of trauma among women who have been abused by a partner, the long-lasting traumatic impacts of IPV, and the multiple experiences of being blamed and not believed that many women have experienced. These findings represent first steps in understanding the relationship between IPV and trauma from the perspectives of women who have survived IPV, offering an important contribution to previous knowledge on IPV. As well, this study provides first steps in understanding the interacting, intersectional effects of multiple forms of adversity, oppression, and IPV, and their relationships to trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem, associated with considerable consequences for the victims. Among the risk factors associated with the perpetration of male IPV, attachment insecurities (avoidance, anxiety) and affect dysregulation (AD) have received strong empirical support. A few studies showed that hostility toward women (HTW) is a correlate of IPV perpetration, but none have explored hostility toward men (HTM). This study's aim was to test direct and indirect associations between romantic attachment insecurities and IPV perpetration (psychological, physical, and sexual coercion) through AD in men seeking help, and to examine the moderator role of HTW and HTM in theses links. A sample of 1,845 men aged between 18 and 88 years and from a diverse population (e.g., cultural background, education, and sexual orientation) were recruited through 18 community organizations providing IPV services in a Canadian province. As part of the systematic assessment protocol of each organization, participants answered a series of online questionnaires. Results from a path analysis model showed indirect associations between attachment insecurities (avoidance and anxiety) and IPV perpetration (psychological, physical, and sexual coercion) through AD. Beyond these links, attachment avoidance was also directly associated with psychological violence, attachment anxiety with sexual coercion, and HTM with sexual coercion. The results revealed two moderation effects: higher HTW amplified the link between AD and physical IPV, whereas higher HTM amplified the link between AD and sexual coercion. Results highlight the relevance of assessing attachment, AD, and gender hostility in IPV programs. They also highlight the relevance of targeting HTM as a risk marker for IPV perpetration in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are at the frontlines of the fight to identify and cope with child sexual abuse (CSA) among their pupils. Their methods of coping with CSA cases, both personally and professionally, are strongly influenced by their socio-cultural contexts and religious beliefs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the experiences of Christian Arab teachers in Israel coping with the CSA of their pupils. Twelve Christian Arab elementary school teachers in Israel were recruited for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a qualitative thematic analysis was employed based on a descriptive phenomenological-psychological approach. Two key themes emerged from the analysis: (a) The teachers' intense emotional reactions regarding the CSA of their students and the empowerment some found in handling such difficult situations, and (b) The teachers' Christian beliefs and identity strongly affected their understanding of CSA and their approach to intervention. The findings indicated the dialectical position of the teachers' religio-cultural context, particularly the duality of the Christian value of forgiveness, a powerful resource for their coping, yet with adverse implications for children's vulnerability. This unique risk should inform training teachers regarding CSA matters. Teachers must also have systems that support them and allow them to reflectively examine their coping styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims at explaining individual differences in self-reported political violence. We integrate key concepts from the field of criminology that are conceptually related to social identity theory (Flemish identity, feelings of group superiority, and ethnocentrism) and the dual process model on prejudice (perceived injustice, perception of threat, and right-wing authoritarianism). In our model, social identity concepts are hypothesized to play a mediating role between mechanisms derived from the dual process model and political violence. To test the integrated model, a model was run for testing the strength of direct and indirect effects of perceived injustice, authoritarianism thrill-seeking behavior, feelings of superiority, Flemish nationalism, ethnocentrism, right-wing extremist beliefs, and exposure to racist peers on political violence. The analyses are based on a web survey (N = 723) among adolescents and young adults in Flanders, Belgium. Results indicate that social identity variables play an important mediation role between perceptions and ideological attitudes related to injustice, and political violence. The main path revealed by our study is that perceived injustice may result in heightened perceptions of threat, which in turn positively influence levels of right-wing authoritarianism. Mediated by ethnocentrism, this variable has a significant and positive effect on right-wing beliefs, which in turn has a positive effect on political violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the pervasiveness of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Canada, research examining IPV in the context of Asian Canadians is scarce. Our study examined whether and how Canadian judges consider culture when determining a sentence in IPV cases involving an Asian offender and/or an Asian victim. We systematically searched for publicly published cases through CanLII. A total of 50 cases met the inclusion criteria. Cultural themes were identified using a direct content analysis approach to capture a priori themes in the literature, as well as identify any other factors considered. Our findings indicated culture was most often considered in only a superficial way (n = 31, 62.0%), where judges only made statements that simply identified the ethnicity of the offender and not how culture may have impacted the case. When examining cases where culture was meaningfully considered there were no prominent culture themes identified (all themes present in <14% of cases). We suggest this may not only reflect the heterogeneity of Asian Canadians, but could also reflect the lack of cultural consideration by the judges. Cultural factors were also rarely considered explicitly as an aggravating or mitigating factor in a case (n = 2; 4.0% and n = 7; 14.0% of the total sample, respectively). The findings reveal the current lack of meaningful consideration of culture in IPV legal cases involving Asian Canadians. We outline how this contrasts the increased attention to the meaningful consideration of culture in the Canadian legal arena and prompt all professionals involved in assessing and managing IPV risk to consider racial, ethnic, and cultural factors in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programs aiming to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) increasingly seek to shift social norms. Few interventions have been rigorously evaluated for their impact on norms and incidence of IPV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Shifting norms at the community level and subsequent pathways to behavior change remain poorly understood. We assessed shifts in individual- and couple-level factors, social norms, and IPV from an 18-month community-based trial of the Masculinity, Faith, and Peace (MFP) program—a faith-based, norms-shifting approach—in Plateau state, Nigeria. This study was part of a community-based, mixed-methods, two-arm cluster randomized control trial (cRCT) to evaluate the MFP program. Quantitative surveys were conducted with women 18 to 35 years old (n = 350) and their male partners (n = 281). Respondents came from 10 Muslim and 10 Christian congregations. Social norms were measured based on results from factor analysis. Intent-to-treat analyses assessed intervention effects. Qualitative research in MFP congregations explored pathways of change. All forms of IPV reduced over time among MFP participants. Regression analyses showed a significant 61% reduction in odds of reporting experiencing any IPV among women, a 64% reduction among Christians, and a 44% reduction in MFP congregations compared to their respective controls. In addition to improvement in norms, we found significant intervention effects on individual attitudes toward IPV and gender roles, relationship quality, and community cohesion. Qualitative findings reinforce these pathways, suggesting that critical reflection and dialogue on existing norms and the focus on faith and religious texts were valued by participants and supported IPV reductions. This study demonstrates that a faith-based, norms-shifting intervention can significantly reduce IPV in a short time. There are several pathways through which MFP reduced IPV, including shifts in norms, attitudes, relationship quality, and community cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggression is a prevalent, maladaptive behavioral problem, yet how adolescents view and respond to aggressive peers vary across individual characteristics and cultural contexts. Using a dyadic peer-rating approach, this study investigated adolescents' perceptions of real-world, rather than hypothetical, aggressive peers, and the role of dyadic gender and individual cultural values. The sample included 274 adolescents (M age = 13.23 years, SD = 0.68; 52% boys) from two public schools in rural China. Adolescents rated each classmate's physical and relational aggression, as well as their affiliative preference and social acceptance toward the classmate. Adolescents reported horizontal and vertical individualistic and collectivistic cultural values. Results indicated that (a) adolescents had similarly negative perceptions of physically and relationally aggressive peers; (b) boys and girls had more negative perceptions of male than female physically aggressive peers, and of same-gender than other-gender relationally aggressive peers; and (c) horizontal collectivistic values were associated with more negative, whereas vertical collectivistic and vertical individualistic values were associated with more benign, perceptions of aggressive peers. These findings uncover the complexity of adolescents' perceptions of aggressive peers and highlight the role of gender and cultural values in understanding attitudes toward aggression in a collectivistic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirical work focuses on social norms as a way of transmitting psychological violence in young people, which could be affecting the effectiveness of preventive programs in dating violence. These programs are effective in changing beliefs, but new intervention approaches are in demand due to the former's limitations in achieving behavioral changes. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate that some dimensions of psychological violence are transmitted as a descriptive social norm, without any need of victimization. In a sample of 1,265 people (18–25 years old) and through two different studies, we explored the perception of prescriptive and descriptive social norms in situations of coercive control applied to three contexts (Study 1), isolation and domination (Study 2), under the hypothesis that coercive control is passed on as a descriptive social norm between peers. Characteristics describing diversity are taken into account. The results in frequency and Structural Equation Model analysis confirm the main hypothesis, because both perceptions are not correlated. Social norms no covariate with social characteristics. Same cannot be said of isolation and domination, leading to three conclusions for prevention. (1) Not all psychological violence works the same. Coercive control starts from a primary cognitive process that requires complementary actions, based for example on the cognitive hierarchy among social norms; (2) Preventive programs are often based on "prescribed" behaviors, related to the consequences they have on victims, whereas the descriptive social norm found in this study does not correlate with victimization, unless control is applied to specific contexts. Therefore, an additional effort in prevention could go deeper with more specific behaviors that show both the different types of psychological violence and the contexts of application; (3) Finally, at the policy level, results found call for the need for preventive efforts on psychological violence in the 18 to 25 age group and specific awareness campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating app facilitated sexual assault (DAppSA) is a concerning phenomenon with minimal published research. This retrospective study explored if DAppSAs were different than other sexual assaults (SAs) committed by acquaintances through a review of 3,413 sexual assault medical forensic examination (SAMFE) charts from 2017 to 2020 in a Mountain West state in the United States. Routine Activities Theory and Confluence Model of sexual aggression provided the theoretical framework for the study. Inclusion criteria for DAppSA cases included (1) victim was 14 years of age or older; (2) victim indicated meeting the perpetrator on a dating app; (3) SA occurred at initial in-person meeting; and (4) victim had a SAMFE with SA kit evidence collection. DAppSAs (n = 274) represented 8.02% of overall cases and 13.92% of acquaintance SAs (n = 1,968). DAppSA victims had unique characteristics including a higher percentage of male victims (7.5%), college students (22.2%), and victims with self-reported mental illness (MI) (59.6%). Victims were less likely to fight back during the assault with lower percentages of kicking (5.8%) and hitting (9%). DAppSA victims and perpetrators were less likely to use drugs or alcohol before or during the assault. DAppSAs were found to be more violent SAs with increased strangulation (32.4%); assaultive/penetrative acts; and victim injuries, especially anogenital and breast injuries. Unique and troubling differences were found in DAppSA cases than other SAs committed by acquaintances. Due to the increased violent nature of DAppSAs, the researchers propose that sexual predators use dating apps as hunting grounds for vulnerable victims. Recommendations to address dating app safety concerns, influence dating app usage policies, and improve care to survivors are discussed through systems-based and trauma-informed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few indigenous men's voices regarding sexual violence against them, particularly concerning Bedouin men's views. How do Bedouin men who have experienced SV describe, perceive, and interpret their experiences in their cultural context? Seventeen Bedouin men, residents of either recognized or unrecognized Bedouin settlements in the Negev, Israel. Phenomenological semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then translated into English. Themes were generated using thematic analysis. Three main themes were found: descriptions of the incidents, reactions to the experiences, and the need for keeping incidents of SV secret due to the stigma involved as a result of patriarchal, political (i.e., tribal hierarchy), and private (i.e., family loyalty) norms, and the matrix of multiple and often conflicting roles and identities that Bedouin men must assume despite their experiences. The incidence of SV against men in the Bedouin community is alarming and must be acknowledged by the research community and public health practitioners as a serious health issue that requires more holistic research to better understand the men's experiences. More efforts are needed on the local, regional, and global levels to provide post-violence care for survivors and to prevent SV. In particular, there is a need to reduce the stigma associated with SV so that young men will be willing to speak up about their trauma without shame and receive help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex trafficking is serious form of gender-based violence that results in profound adverse health outcomes, yet one that is poorly understood. New York City is a major hub for sex trafficking, with a significant but unquantified number of victims originating from East Asian countries and trafficked via illicit massage businesses. Peer-reviewed studies among Asian survivors of international criminal sex trafficking do not exist. The aim of this study is to qualitatively examine the factors at various levels of influence that impact the recovery and reintegration process of Asian criminal sex trafficking survivors in the United States from the perspective of survivors and front-line service providers. The study was guided by community-based participatory research and trauma-informed approaches, leveraging a collaboration with a well-established service provider organization. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted between 2018 and 2019 with three Korean survivors and seven key informants who were anti-trafficking service providers working with East Asian clients. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Survivors and service providers vocalized factors at multiple levels that either facilitate or impede recovery and well-being. Levels of influence included structural (e.g., poverty/debt bondage, immigration status, limited English proficiency), cultural (e.g., fatalism, collectivism), institutional (e.g., lack of culturally appropriate, trauma-informed care), interpersonal (e.g., exploitation, social support), and individual (e.g., resilience). Stigma was a crosscutting factor that spanned all levels of influence. This study highlights the voices of survivors and front-line service providers to understand the lives of an under-researched population of Asian sex trafficking survivors. Ultimately, the root, structural causes of survivor marginalization need to be addressed, which stem from the intersection of class-, gender-, and race-related inequities. While survivors continue to experience exploitation and marginalization post-trafficking, they also carry an enormous amount of resilience that must be leveraged in their path to recovery from trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating violence is manifested in different forms between romantic partners. Psychological violence, the most common form of dating violence, is more likely to affect women, eliciting feelings such as shame and guilt. The robust relationship of sexism to psychological dating violence victimization (PDVV) is well-documented but whether PDVV serves as a mechanism linking sexism to guilt and shame remains unexplored. This study, therefore, investigated the potential mediating role of PDVV in the association between sexist attitudes and feelings of guilt and shame. Dating college women (N = 219) from Turkey, an honor culture in which one's self-worth lies on one's evaluation as well as the assessment of what others think, participated in the study. High rates of PDVV were found in this culture, and structural equation modeling revealed that PDVV mediated the relationship between sexism and feelings of guilt and shame. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and how sexist attitudes might be challenged to reduce the adverse emotional effects experienced by women who are victims of psychological dating violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Incest is a globally prevalent phenomenon and is defined as sexual relations between closely related family members. Despite being a criminal offense irrespective to the gender and age incest is a prevalent issue in Nepal. Incest survivors are sheltered in safe homes for specific periods and reintegrated into their families following their healing. This research aims to explore the challenges and issues involved in the reintegration of incest survivors and investigate how the interconnected perceptions of families and individuals relate to the incest survivors' successful reintegration. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in three districts of Nepal. Fourteen incest survivors, five service providers from safe homes, and 22 community members were purposefully and theoretically selected. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect the study data, which were subsequently coded and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results: The results indicate the importance of the reintegration of incest survivors, as staying in a safe home may not offer a long-term solution for these individuals. However, reintegration is challenging without acceptance and support from the survivors' families and communities, the survivors' readiness to reintegrate, and agreement from the survivors' safe homes. Factors found to influence the unsuccessful reintegration of survivors included family fragmentation, socio-economic status, family resistance, the survivor-perpetrator relationship, survivors' interests, fears, and the possibility of repeated incidents, harmful social norms and cultural practices, community intervention, and negative perceptions. Conclusion: This study found that factors associated with impeding the reintegration of incest survivors are found in survivors, their families, and their communities. Creating harmonious family systems, providing education on gender equality, empowering women to fight against all sorts of abuse, and governmental assurances on the implementation of legal aid, human rights, ratified conventions on child rights and women's rights may help prevention of incest, and address the reintegration challenges of incest victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital sphere has become a space in which misogyny-laden discourses are constantly presented. In fact, in Mexico persists a rape culture that justifies violent acts against women and blames the victims of the crimes through social opinions. The present study proposed an approach based on the Theory of Social Representations. In this sense, this study aimed to analyze the discourses that emerge in the digital sphere when users give their opinion on five types of crimes against women: femicide, rape, enforced disappearance, abuse, and sexual harassment. The results revealed that there are four types of discourse (representations) framed within rape culture: disbelief of rape, blaming the victim, revictimization, and disempowering women. It is concluded that Mexican society maintains a representation that stereotypes and devalues the image of women, which allows us to understand the aggressions that women suffer in their daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School violence is a global public health epidemic, with students with disabilities at a significantly greater risk than their non-disabled peers. Students with disabilities are more vulnerable to school violence from peers, teachers, and school staff due to stereotypes and prejudice. Teachers are pivotal in preventing violence and intervening, but literature on the role that teachers play in responding to disability-based violence is limited. Guided by the social–ecological framework of bullying, this qualitative study explored educators' responses to school violence against students with disabilities in Zambia. Data generation included document review, interviews, and focus groups with 33 teachers and 12 parents, and child-friendly methods with 90 students with disabilities. Findings illuminated that students with disabilities are less safe in schools. Teachers are not responding to violence seen or heard about due to stigmatizing beliefs and cultural norms surrounding disability and violence, with students with disabilities blamed for the violence and the response being their burden. Students with disabilities felt protected by special education teachers; however, disability-based stigma did not end with the student. By association, special education teachers were experiencing stigma from other teachers and were discouraged to respond. This stigma undermined the support special education teachers could provide to decrease school violence. Findings provide direction so teachers can respond to school violence in prosocial ways that create an environment where students with disabilities feel safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media sites such as Facebook have become popular platforms for promoting public awareness of sexual abuse by encouraging user engagement around this issue. There is, therefore, currently emerging research on the functions and implications of social media as a platform for sexual abuse disclosure. However, as yet, no study has examined this phenomenon specifically through a religious-cultural lens. This study explores perceptions of, barriers to, and motives underlying online disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA) by religious authority figures (RAFs) in ultraorthodox Jewish society in Israel. The data were gleaned from the popular Facebook page of a nonprofit devoted to raising awareness of CSA in the ultraorthodox community. The analysis was based on admins' posts, anonymous and nonanonymous survivors' shares, users' comments, and in-depth interviews of eight page users. The findings suggest a culture-oriented model of online CSA disclosure (OCSAD), identifying four primary factors (safety, benefit, relevance, and legitimacy) that, weighed against cultural barriers, influence the decision to engage in online CSA disclosure. This context-informed understanding highlights the importance of social media as an alternative platform for CSA disclosure in an isolated but changing cultural arena such as the ultraorthodox community in Israel. The theoretical model is of international interest for its conceptualization of the unique characteristics and perceptions of OCSAD within religious-cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firearms present a significant risk of intimate partner homicide (IPH) among women in the United States, and Black women continue to be overrepresented among IPH fatalities. State-level firearm restrictions for individuals under domestic violence restraining orders (DVRO) and firearm restrictions for those convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes are associated with reductions in IPH. To receive these protections, individuals must engage with the civil or criminal justice system. While access to, and engagement with, these systems may differ between Black and White populations, research has yet to examine the impact of these firearm restriction laws on IPH by racial group. We conducted pooled, cross-sectional, time-series analyses to examine the association of selected firearm restriction laws on IPH by the race of the victims, from 1981 to 2013 for 45 states in the United States. State-level DVRO firearm restrictions were associated with reductions in IPH in the White population only. The inclusion of relinquishment provisions in state DVRO firearm laws is associated with an 11% reduction in IPH and a 16% reduction in firearm IPH for White, but not Black, victims. Similarly, laws prohibiting individuals convicted of violent misdemeanors from possessing firearms are associated with a 23% reduction in IPH and a 28% reduction in firearm IPH for White victims only. The federal DVRO firearm restriction law is associated with a 27% reduction in state-level IPH and a 28% reduction in firearm IPH for Black, but not White, victims. Firearm restriction laws may have a limited impact on IPH in Black populations. Future research should examine the factors behind the differential estimated impact of these laws by the race of the victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite Hong Kong's ranking as having one of the lowest homicide rates worldwide, it has one of the highest female homicide rates globally. This research catered to the need for a systematic empirical analysis of the femicide phenomenon in Hong Kong by examining census data of femicide cases that occurred in Hong Kong in 5 years: from January 2015 to December 2019. Thirty-eight cases were examined and coded, covering 17 variables relating to victims, perpetrators, and modus operandi. Despite the small number of cases, this article highlights femicide's sociocultural diversity by discussing its unique patterns in Hong Kong, with a high share of femicide-suicide cases and overrepresentation of foreigners and women older than 60. The article concludes with recommended policy strategy reformulations needed to better combat femicide in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent literature, there are no academic studies on divorce and domestic violence among Syrian refugees in Germany. To contribute to filling this gap, the current study addresses the question: What are the main causes of divorce and domestic violence among Syrian refugees in Germany, and how are these two phenomena interrelated? The present study is based on 14 qualitative interviews with divorced Syrian refugee men and women in Germany, all of them are Muslim with different economic backgrounds from urban and rural areas in Syria and got divorced shortly after their arrival to Germany. The data were analyzed and coded following Mayring's guidelines for content analysis. The findings suggest that domestic violence results from conflicts of interest in marriage and divorce between Syrian refugee men and women. The present study uses the economic theory of marriage and divorce by Cary Becker to show how Syrian refugee women's "gains" of divorce in Germany exceed the "gains" of remaining married and how that leads them to divorce their husbands. In contrast, divorce is a heavy loss for Syrian refugee men. In addition, it shows how this conflict of interest results in domestic violence, by which the men resist their wives' eagerness to divorce and interpret the marital relationship according to Sharia law and Arabic traditions in order to keep their old patriarchal authority. However, this interpretation is inapplicable and criminalized by the German family legislation, and unwanted by their wives. The findings, through the example of Syrian refugees in Germany, imply that the causes of divorce and domestic violence among refugees in some regards are unique in comparison with natives and migrants. That means that we need more studies on this topic in different socio-cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence (DV), also commonly referred to as intimate partner violence or spousal abuse, is a global public health issue that affects the physical, psychological, sexual, and reproductive health of women. We examined the sociocultural factors associated with the attitude toward DV perpetrated against women in Afghanistan. We used data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey, consisting of an ever-married sample of 29,461 women and 10,760 men aged 15 to 49 years. Our dependent variable, attitude toward DV, was determined from responses on acceptance of wife-beating in five scenarios, and the group of socio cultural factors was selected based on evidence from previous studies. Our main analytical method was logistic regression, using the survey design. Our findings indicated that factors such as an increase in years of education and living in a wealthier household reduce the likelihood of acceptance of DV among men and women. Ethnicity was also associated with the attitude toward DV, but the magnitude varied across ethnic groups and gender. Furthermore, an increase in age and living in the urban area were associated with nonjustification of DV among women, but not among men. On the other hand, frequent exposure to the media increases the likelihood of acceptance of DV among men, but not for women. The result of the present study suggests that there are economic, social, and cultural aspects to the attitude toward DV among men and women in Afghanistan. Therefore, policies designed at changing the socio cultural perception of the people are of importance in other to bring about a change in attitude, and even combat the prevalence of DV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in South Asia face the highest lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence in the world, which is just one form of violence against women (VAW). In India, few women seek help after experiencing violence, particularly from formal resources, such as physicians or the police. While many studies have investigated the impact of survivor characteristics and patterns of violence on help-seeking behaviors, there is scant research on support service characteristics and their impact on help-seeking. The introduction of a novel crisis helpline in Gujarat, India provided an opportunity to better understand how successful help-seeking can be driven by the perceived and experienced characteristics of the helpline. We conducted in-depth interviews with helpline users to identify factors and pathways that promoted or discouraged help-seeking in general, help-seeking from a formal source, and help-seeking from this particular helpline. We analyzed 32 interviews of women who used the helpline. Participants were from eight districts across the state, representing a diverse range of sociodemographic backgrounds. After conducting a thematic analysis, we found that action-oriented service, timeliness, and women-focused staff influenced (positively and negatively) participants' feelings of safety, empowerment, and trust in the helpline, which ultimately impacted their decision to seek help from the helpline or even to seek help at all. This study illuminates how service characteristics, in and of themselves, can influence the likelihood that survivors will seek help, emphasizing the need for survivors to have a voice in the growth and refinement of VAW support services. Consequently, these areas must be a focus of future research and initiatives to improve help-seeking by VAW survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In prior research, samples of incarcerated and reentering men and their partners report partner violence at roughly 10 times the frequency found in the general population. The relationship dynamics underlying these experiences remain poorly understood. Addressing this gap and expanding prior applications of Johnson's typology in other populations—which typically rely on survey data alone and include reports from just one member of a couple—we applied latent class analysis with dyadic survey data from 1,112 couples to identify types of partner violence in couples affected by incarceration. We assessed congruence between quantitative types and couples' qualitative accounts and compared the two major types using two-sample t -tests. In some couples, one partner used various tactics to systematically dominate and control the other, as in Johnson's coercive controlling violence. In others, physical violence arose in the context of jealousy but no other controlling behavior. This type resembled Johnson's situational couple violence. Qualitative data suggested that jealousy represented a common, situational response to periods of prolonged separation, relationship instability, status insecurity, and partnership concurrence and not a tactic of control per se. Victims of coercive controlling violence experienced more PTSD symptoms and felt less safe in their relationships than victims of jealous-only violence. Perpetrators of coercive controlling violence were more likely to use severe physical violence against their partners than perpetrators of jealous-only violence. Findings indicate that broader context is critical for interpreting the presence of jealousy (and whether it constitutes a control tactic). They indicate that prevention and response strategies tailored to these types could help couples cope safely with the extreme relationship stressors of incarceration and reentry. Finally, they suggest a need to move from an exclusive focus on individual accountability and services toward a model that also incorporates institutional accountability and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence perpetrated by an intimate partner (IPV) is an important human rights and public health problem worldwide and when experienced during pregnancy is of special concern due to the harmful impact on maternal and child health. Women living in Vanuatu, and especially Sanma Province, experience high rates of IPV, however little is known about their experiences of violence when pregnant. The aim was to describe the prevalence, patterns and determinants of IPV among women who are pregnant in Sanma Province, Vanuatu. A cross-sectional survey was used. All healthy adult women attending Northern Provincial Hospital antenatal clinic from late May to late July 2019 were eligible and invited to participate. Psychological, physical and sexual IPV and controlling behaviours were assessed with a modified version of the World Health Organization Violence Against Women Instrument administered as an individual interview. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse prevalence and patterns of IPV and logistic regression models to identify determinants. Of 214 women who expressed interest in participating, 192 women contributed data. Overall 64.2% of women had experienced any IPV during their lifetime and 42.2% had experienced IPV during their current pregnancy. Experience of co-occurrence of violence types was common, and it was more common for IPV to continue than to cease during pregnancy. Factors which increased likelihood of experiencing IPV included being employed, occupying a lower socioeconomic position, having a partner who was unemployed or used alcohol or illicit substances at least once a week. IPV, in all its forms, is a common problem faced by women who are pregnant and living in Vanuatu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to test psychometric properties and factor invariance of the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) for adults across five countries: Serbia (N = 409), Mauritius (N = 400), the United States (N = 389), the Netherlands (N = 372), and China (N = 325). The results supported the two–factor structure across country samples, with a marginal model fit in Mauritius. Results also supported the congruent factor structure of Reactive Aggression scale across countries, while the Proactive Aggression scale can be considered as equal across samples from Serbia, the United States, and China, but not from Mauritius and the Netherland. Among items from the Proactive Aggression scale, those referring to open aggression aimed at obtaining social status and dominance, frightening or harming others, obtained the highest loadings across all samples and could be considered as the good representatives of adult proactive aggression. This is the first study in which cross-cultural validation of the RPQ among adults has been tested and results suggested that there are some cultural differences in expression of proactive aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the experiences and perspectives of health practitioners facing the challenges of providing services to female survivors of sexual violence. Interviews were conducted with 28 health practitioners, from eight post-rape care facilities located in Nairobi, Kenya. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi's 1978 analytical model. The analysis of the results was guided by four domains of the ecological framework: individual, interpersonal, community/cultural, and public policy. The study documented a myriad of detail about the challenges faced by women before reporting the crime as well as the actual process of reporting. One key finding from this study was that health practitioners perceived family interference as a barrier to reporting, access to care, and to the pursuit of justice for survivors, particularly if the perpetrator was a relative. Family interference was also identified as a factor with implications for health practitioners' ability to ensure quality of care as it resulted in patients loss to follow-up and added to the negative emotional toll on health practitioners providing post-rape care. Three main themes emerged in practitioner responses related to this issue: (a) fear of consequences of reporting and care seeking, including economic vulnerability, family conflict, and retaliation such as divorce or further violence, (b) the trend toward out-of-court settlements rather than intervention through formal health and criminal justice sector challenges, and (c) attitudes toward sexual violence and survivors, normalization of rape, and victim-blaming attitudes. The study adds to our understanding of the obstacles faced by health practitioners providing post-rape care and provides a unique set of insights from the front lines on underlying factors contributing to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a common belief that microfinance plays a dual role of poverty alleviation and socioeconomic upliftment of its women participants. However, there are enough researches that negates the positive impact of microfinance loans on spousal violence. Recognized as one of the most predominant social evils, violence against women is not only a violation of their human rights but also an act of exploitation and denial of freedom. In the present study, we have tried to investigate if microfinance loan takers experience more spousal violence as compared to their counterparts by analyzing the National Family Health Survey IV, 2015–16. Our results indicate that 40.8% of women microfinance participants experience spousal violence. Additionally, the likelihood of microfinance participants to experience spousal violence is much higher than the non-microfinance participants (odds ratio = 1.35, p value =.000). Microfinance programs are designed to increase the individual agencies of women participants, which, in turn, reduce the chances of them becoming victims of spousal violence. However, if the credit program participation induces the woman to be a victim of spousal violence together with becoming financially autonomous, then such hidden costs need to be taken into account while evaluating the effectiveness of the gendered policy design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how and why physical intimate partner violence (IPV) persists in high-risk communities has proven difficult. As IPV is both sensitive and illegal, people may be inclined to misreport their views and experiences. By embedding a list randomization experiment (LRE), which increases respondent privacy, in a survey of 809 adult Arsi Oromo men and women in rural south-central Ethiopia, we test the reliability of direct questioning survey methods (e.g., used in the Demographic and Health Surveys) for measuring attitudes that underpin the acceptability of IPV. Participants were randomly assigned versions of the survey in which they were asked either directly or indirectly about the acceptability of wife-beating. By comparing responses across these surveys, we identify the extent to which views are being misreported using direct questioning methods, as well as identifying the "true" predictors of continued support for wife-beating. Indirect questioning reveals that almost one third of the sample believe that wife-beating is acceptable. Adults (particularly men) who are less educated (<3 years schooling) or living in households where women do not participate in economic decision making are among those most likely to identify wife-beating as justifiable (>50% endorsement). These individuals, however, are also more inclined to hide their approval when asked directly by an interviewer. That we find high but underreported support for wife-beating among some members of the community demonstrates a clear need to encourage a more open dialogue, to prevent violence toward women remaining undetected and thus unchanged. This finding also raises questions about the accuracy of traditional direct questioning for capturing information on IPV attitudes and norms. Of relevance to policy, we find that wife-beating is entirely absent only among adults with higher levels of education, living in households where decision making is shared between couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research demonstrates that Teen Dating Violence (TDV) programs impact TDV knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, decreasing the odds of TDV victimization and perpetration. Studies indicate that students who do not complete a TDV intervention have significantly higher odds of physical and emotional TDV victimization and emotional TDV perpetration. This study uses multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression to examine predictors of the presence and the strength of state legislation addressing TDV education and school policies. Results indicate some success in predicting the existence of TDV laws but less support for forecasting the strength of the policies passed. Dominant political party and state median income were found to be potentially important determinants of TDV state school policies. A state's political culture influenced the strength of states' TDV policies. Showing that policy existence and strength are related to different processes is important for advocates to understand. Future research should look at additional variables and explore legislative histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual violence is a persistent, underreported threat to the well-being of women and girls worldwide. In Vietnam, as elsewhere, myths and misconceptions around rape and other forms of sexual violence present a major barrier to reporting and prevention. Based on qualitative research from a parent study aimed at reducing sexual violence perpetration at universities in Vietnam, we sought to characterize commonly held myths among university students that may contribute to the perpetration and justification of such behaviors. Our analysis drew on focus group discussions with men (n = 69) and semi-structured interviews with men (n = 12) and women (n = 9) recruited from two universities in Hanoi. Conducted in April and May of 2018, interviews covered topics including gender norms, dating relationships, consent, and sexual violence, whereas focus groups conducted in October 2018 were designed to assess reactions to an existing sexual violence prevention program. Thematic analysis of interview and focus group transcripts revealed that myths and misconceptions about sexual violence persist among university-aged men and women. Chief among these were that rape results mainly from men's uncontrollable desire, that victims provoke rape by their "reckless" behavior, such as drinking or dressing provocatively, that "real" rape is characterized by physical force from the perpetrator and "fierce resistance" on the part of the victim, and that rape occurs only under a narrow set of circumstances. Although men and women endorsed most myths equally, justification of rape through victim blaming featured much less in women's narratives than in men's. Myths concerning false rape allegations, observed in Western populations, were not considered relevant to Vietnamese students. Findings informed the development of a contextualized rape myths acceptance scale for testing and use in Vietnam. A nuanced understanding of salient rape myths among male and female students may also inform university-based efforts to prevent sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the concept of privacy is as old as human history, it has attracted attention as a social need in recent years. An important issue regarding child protection is privacy. This research was carried out to determine the awareness and knowledge of children's parents on awareness of child privacy right. A total of 107 students' parents, registered in preschool, consisted of the sample of the study. This research was descriptive research. To determine the relationships between categorical variables, chi-square analysis was used as the statistical methods of the research. Total of 29% of parents stated that they always asked permission from their children to enter their room, 80.4% never took off their children's clothes nearby someone else, 83.2% never preferred clothes older than their children's age, 69.2% never showed affection for child's private parts, 54.2% they never loved their children by battering him/her (biting, squeezing, etc.). It was found that parents with boys preferred more clothes older than their age for their children compared to parents with girls, and the rate of waiting in the toilet with their children decreased as the age of their children increased. It was determined that as the education level of the mothers of the children increased, they entered the children's room with permission. It was observed that as the education level of fathers increased, they preferred clothes older than their age significantly less for their children and working mothers did not wait in the toilet with their children. Parents' awareness of privacy can contribute to their awareness of abuse. Overall, this study provided evidence that parents' awareness of privacy may have universal characteristics as well as aspects specific to sociocultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intended to examine rape myth acceptance (RMA) among police officers and its relationship with sociodemographic data, length of service, specific training in the field, and professional experience with victims of rape. To this end, we applied the Sexual Violence Beliefs Scale (ECVS) and controlled for sociodemographic data, as well as professional experience and specific training in the field, through a self-report questionnaire. The sample was composed of 400 police officers from a city in the north of Portugal, aged between 29 and 54 years, and most were men (94.3%). We found that tolerance to overall sexual violence exhibits positive correlations with age and length of service, as well as negative correlations with education levels. Differences were also found regarding gender, with men exhibiting greater tolerance/acceptance of overall sexual violence. It was also found that officers who exhibit higher tolerance/acceptance for sexual violence, overall, are those who do not consider it relevant to receive specific training in the field of sexual violence to perform their duties, who report not having any professional experience with cases of sexual violence and also do not consider it necessary to have specific abilities for these types of cases. Implications for decision-making in legal proceedings are discussed, stressing the need for specific specialization in intervention with victims of sexual assault, with a strong practical component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which sexual violence is portrayed in the media contribute to communities' understanding of violence and can influence survivor outcomes. The parallel cases of the confirmation hearings of Justices Kavanaugh and Thomas provide an opportunity to measure if and how the cultural zeitgeist has shifted around issues of sexual violence. This study sought to answer two questions: (a) When a supreme court nominee is accused of sexual violence, have the ways the mainstream media discussed the violence in newspaper headlines changed between 1991 and 2018? To what extent and how? (b) Have the ways the mainstream media characterizes the nominee and the accuser within and between 1991 and 2018 changed? How? Headlines were collected systematically from eight major U.S. newspapers, resulting in a data set of 373 headlines from 1991 and 249 from 2018. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to examine the characterizations of the accuser, nominee, and violence. Supplemental chi-square analyses were used to compare how violence was categorized in the two years. While less victim-blaming and minimization of sexual violence occurred in the 2018 headlines, newspapers continued to avoid naming the sexual violence. The characterizations of the nominee, accuser, and violence became depersonalized in 2018, focusing on politics rather than the people and issues at hand, likely reflecting a highly politicized American public. Despite the heightened attention to sexual violence that current movements have sparked, our analysis of comparable cases in 1991 and 2018 suggests newspaper headlines continued to avoid naming sexual violence as violence in 2018 as in 1991, and furthermore, contemporary language about sexual violence and its survivors and perpetrators has not changed to reflect an increased response to survivor healing and perpetrator change. Rather, shifts in language suggest survivors and perpetrators may be politicized as tools for parties and politicians to debate larger issues or stake political positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female honor killing is a particular form of femicide, where the killing of a woman is perpetrated by a member or members of her family who do not approve of her social behavior in general and her sexual behavior in particular. The study of female honor killing tends to focus on a cultural examination of honor cultures yet lacks exploration of possible social factors that may influence such gendered killing. Possible links between female honor killing incidence and various social factors, among them poverty, low social status, and rapid modernization, were recently postulated, however empirical validation of these hypotheses has yet to be thoroughly explored. This article offers empirical observations of an explorative nature of social factors that may play a role in the frequency of female honor killing. The research's methodological design distinguishes between the various Arab subgroups in Israel along their correlated ingrained social characteristics and offers a comparative empirical analysis obtained from nation-based data on female honor killings among the various Arab subgroups (excluding the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem) during a 6-year period (2010-2015). The research is based on a secondary analysis of data extrapolated from media surveillance. A total of 58 eligible cases were found and comprised the research sample. Frequency analysis of femicide events and victims was performed for each Arab subgroup. Despite the small number of cases and the research's explorative and tentative nature, it provides preliminary empirical indications of possible links between female honor killing frequency and social factors such as low economic status and rapid modernization. The article's novel empirical indications may be of great relevance to societies currently facing the challenge of assimilating a growing number of Arab and Muslim social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical studies on men and masculinities have gained significant momentum in feminist scholarship in the past decades. The growing interest in feminist scholarship has focused broadly on how male-bodied people construct, negotiate, and express masculine identities. Despite this growing interest, insufficient attention has explored how rurally based Ghanaian men construct and negotiate their masculinities in intimate relationships. Situated within critical discursive psychology and drawing on 16 semi-structured in-depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions with adult men in northwestern Ghana, the results show that dominant notions of masculinity provide a broad context through which participants' narratives, negotiations, and experiences on intimate partner violence could be understood. Findings suggest that various cultural narratives and metaphors were deployed to support men's controlling behaviors and/or intimate violence against women. The implications of how harmful masculine ideologies could frustrate efforts that target the development and promotion of a socially just and less oppressive society are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite disproportionate health outcome disparities experienced by Black women, reproductive coercion (RC), a range of behaviors to promote unwanted pregnancy and childbearing motivations among poor young Black men are underexamined in current empirical literature. We aimed to describe perceptions of RC behaviors and childbearing motivations among poor young Black men in Baltimore City. We recruited a convenience sample of young Black men aged 18 to 25 (N = 25). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and demographic surveys. Thematic analysis was guided by Miller's Traits-Desires-Intentions-Behaviors (TDIB) framework. According to survey data (N = 23), mean age was 22 (2.1). Majority of participants reported sexual relationships with one person (74%; n = 17), almost half (48%; n = 12) were biological fathers, and six (26%) participants reported using RC toward an intimate partner; three (13%) reported experiencing RC behaviors from a female partner. According to qualitative interviews (N = 25), participants described perceived women-partner motivations for RC as entrapment. Childbearing motivations were influenced by (a) legacies and bonding and (b) escaping/correcting the past. Childbearing desires included (a) love feelings and intimacy and (b) good father. Childbearing intentions included (a) resistance to medical interventions and (b) preparation. Perceptions of RC and childbearing motivations reflected desires from participants to fulfill cultural expectations for conventional masculinity and enhance personal dreams for fatherhood. Although some perceptions and behavior patterns aligned with previous studies, RC was relatively rare in this sample. Findings demonstrated nuanced antithesis to stereotypical notions of young Black men and fatherhood. Provision of reproductive care for young men and their sexual partners should include discussions about RC, pregnancy motivations, and healthy sexual communication strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against women is a global issue with estimates indicating that 35% of all women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or nonpartner violence in their life time. In Malawi, 42% of ever-married women have experienced some form of violence perpetrated by their current or most recent spouse. A number of studies have investigated intimate partner violence in Malawi within the context of HIV/AIDS, girls' sexual abuse, and psychological distress, and a few studies report on the role of sociocultural factors in influencing gender-based violence. No study has used cluster analysis to systematically analyze different levels of abuse among married women in Malawi. Using the 2015 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey data, we employed cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression to analyze the distribution of different levels of abuse among married women in Malawi and the key attributes associated with each level of abuse. Correlates of domestic violence significantly differ by levels of abuse and are distributed as follows: controlling behavior (11.8%), general controlling behavior (GCB; 27.1%), moderate physical and emotional abuse (27.2%), and the high and complete abuse (8.5%). Alcohol consumption, ethnicity, and women working status were significantly associated with all four levels of abuse, but age and religion were only associated with controlling behavior and generalized controlling behavior. The strength of association between husband's alcohol consumption, woman's working status, and marriage type and domestic violence increased by level of abuse. On each of these factors, the odds of experiencing violence were lowest in the controlling behavior group and highest in the high physical and emotional abuse group. Policies and programs that are designed to tackle violence against married women in Malawi should incorporate strategies that discourage excessive alcohol consumption, promote messages that women can be bread winners, and discourage polygamous marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crime victims' rights movement has led to the development of advocacy, rights, and services for crime victims. A growing body of research has examined victim service provision using victim/client samples and complementary research has utilized service provider samples. The latter have focused on crime victim service providers' (VSPs) perceptions regarding clients' needs and barriers, as well as perceptions of service provision, needs, and barriers pertaining to their agency's operations. Although relatively small, the body of provider-focused victim services research has commonly considered the influence of rurality on service provision. The present study adds to this body of research by examining reported needs and barriers of VSPs (N = 94) in a Mountain West state, considering the influence of rurality and concentrated need. Three research questions informed the descriptive analyses: (a) What are the most commonly identified needs and barriers for providers in the state? (b) Are there differences in identified needs and barriers between rural and urban providers? (c) Do certain agencies report more needs and barriers than others, and if so, what are the differences? Findings indicate that many of the needs and barriers identified by VSPs mirror those identified by previous research and that agencies serving rural communities report significantly more needed services than those who do not serve rural communities. Furthermore, approximately 30% of the sample was designated as "high need" due to reported needs and/or barriers exceeding the average of the rest of the sample. The high-need agencies were not exclusively rural in terms of agency location or population served. The potential nuances of rurality's influence on VSPs in an overwhelmingly rural state are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of diversity in interpersonal violence research as it relates to race and ethnicity. The importance and need for diversity in interpersonal violence research is discussed. Three phases of the research processed are discussed: conceptualization, implementation, and interpretation. Specific strategies are discussed on how to include and bolster interpersonal violence research in partnership with diverse communities of color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing body of research concerning victimization and mental health among college populations around the world, there remains a need for additional studies that emphasize the role that victimization has on mental health. This study builds on previous research by analyzing the relationship between mental distress and victimization status in Spanish college students (n = 828, 490 women and 338 men). Using online surveys, we examined the prevalence rates of seven types of victimization (threats, insults, online slander, theft, physical abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse) and three mental health disorders (stress, anxiety, and depression, as measured by the DASS-21 [Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21]) among students at two universities in southeastern Spain. According to their victimization experiences during the 12 months prior to the interviews, participants were classified into three victimization status groups: nonvictims (42.3%), single-type victims (23.3%), and polyvictims (34.4%). Except for threat and physical abuse, women reported significantly higher rates than men for each type of victimization and were classified more often as polyvictims. MANCOVA showed significant associations between polyvictimization and all three indicators of mental distress after controlling for sex. Interestingly, there were no differences between single-type victims and nonvictims in their self-reported levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. Female students reported a higher prevalence of severe and extremely severe levels of anxiety and stress than did their male counterparts. This study highlights the fact that a nontrivial proportion of college students experience mental distress, reinforces the existing link between polyvictimization and mental health disorders, and stresses the importance of violence awareness and prevention activities targeting this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among persons who commit murder a certain percentage also commits suicide soon after, a phenomenon known as homicide-suicide. Previous studies indicate that femicide-suicide (female intimate partner homicide-suicides) accounts for the vast majority of homicide-suicide occurrences. Although the femicide-suicide phenomenon cuts across regions and societies, there is a dearth of studies of femicide-suicide patterns, motives, and characteristics among non-Western populations. A review of the few available findings about femicide-suicide in non-Western societies highlights the need for further study and corroboration of the distribution and characteristics of femicide-suicide in non-Western societies. The unique manifestations of the phenomenon among immigrant, ethnic, and social minority groups are of great relevance to Western societies currently facing the challenge of assimilating a growing number of ethnic minorities and immigrant social groups. The study aims to further our understanding of possible sociocultural variations of femicide-suicide by exploring sociodemographic and criminological patterns among non-Western social groups. It presents an analysis of national empirical findings of femicide-suicide across various ethnic and sociocultural groups in Israel in the years 2005-2015, excluding analysis of cases that occurred in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The characteristics and patterns that are the focus of this study include a sociocultural ethnic profile of the perpetrator, and various criminological characteristics such as homicide and suicide location, homicide and suicide method, and homicide motive. Femicide-suicide events, victims, and perpetrators were compared by calculating frequency distributions and population-based incidence rates. The findings suggest that the distribution of the phenomenon and its criminological characteristics vary across immigrant and ethnic minority groups. Further research is needed to validate the study's empirical observations and to explore the various manifestations of the phenomenon across non-Western ethnic, social, religious, and cultural groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Personal Protective Order (PPO) and the PPO process may provide an opportunity to shift power dynamics from the state/abuser to the victim—a process otherwise known as "victim empowerment." Using a previously established empowerment framework, the Empowerment Process Model, 2017 PPO statutes for all U.S. states and the District of Columbia (n = 51) were examined in regard to 23 statutory elements conceptualized to facilitate the process of victim empowerment for initmate partner violence (IPV) victims. Findings demonstrated that there is little consistency across PPO statutes in regard to empowerment facilitators (8.0-18.5, M = 13.5, SD = 2.3). Three elements were found to be consistently empowering by most states: the use of gender-neutral language, inclusion of same-sex couple violence, and adherence to full faith and credit provision of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Future research should examine which statutory elements are associated with the greatest increases in victim empowerment, and model PPO language should be developed. Furthermore, in general, PPO research findings must be discussed within the confines of state statutes and limited generalizability across states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious beliefs play a significant role in the lives of victims of domestic violence. Victims find strength in their faith and would rather endure the violence at all costs to keep a family or a marriage together, than to compromise their faith by leaving. This 10 –year study explored the climate of support for victims of domestic violence among Christian clergy and church members between 2005 and 2015. Using a convenience sample, surveys were sent out to congregations in the Upper Midwest in 2005 and 2015. The survey included demographics; two items measuring perception of domestic violence in the congregation and community; six Likert Scale items regarding agreement with statements concerning leaving an abusive marriage; four "Yes–No" items regarding the impact of faith in leaving, support of the congregation, community resources, and clergy as counselors. The clergy's survey had the same questions plus open-ended questions about their skills in counseling victims, their congregation's support for victims, community resources, and beliefs that could impact a victim's choice in leaving. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple frequencies, and bivariate correlations. Narrative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results of this study indicated that change is slow. Members want their clergy to become more educated in counseling and in speaking about domestic violence from the pulpit. Clergy felt comfortable in making referrals for professional counseling, while the majority of members would prefer counseling with their pastor if they were in a violent relationship. Both clergy and members want to create a safe and supportive environment for victims/survivors of violent relationships. Findings from this study exemplify the need for pastors to remove the silence about domestic violence in their congregations and address the misunderstood social religious beliefs that may bind a victim to the violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global nature of domestic violence against women, few studies have examined the phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan. This grounded theory study gives voice to survivors of domestic violence by examining women's experiences of various forms of violence and the complexities surrounding Kyrgyz women's decision making about leaving violent relationships. Findings revealed that survivors move through a three-stage process of leaving: (a) reaching a turning point, (b) implementing the leaving process, and (c) reclaiming self. Participants described "turning points" as critical events or sudden realizations that the violence had become uncontrollable or intolerable, and that the problem was not going to be solved without external support. The turning points fell into four major categories, including epiphanies and moments of truth, losing hope for a change in the abuser's behavior, reaching the point of saturation and giving up, and experiencing fear for the safety of children and protecting self. The main factor that led women to leave was being confronted with the pervasive fear that the abuse would lead to permanent disability or death. In the second stage, the process of leaving was characterized by an iterative cycle of leaving and returning until women were able to weigh the costs and benefits of staying and leaving in the face of cultural, institutional, and systemic constraints. The final stage of leaving involved "reclaiming self," which was the result of cognitive shifts, finding new meanings in their experiences of abuse and attempts to leave, and support received from advocates at the shelter. Results have implications for interventions with survivors and policies addressing the problem of domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of stalking are conducted with samples from individualist cultures. Little is known about the phenomenon within collectivist cultures. The present study is arguably the first stalking study conducted in Hong Kong. Specifically, this study investigates a large sample of Asian college students' (N = 2,496) perceptions of stalking behavior, potential reasons for stalking, and coping strategies that may be employed by stalking victims. Associations between these variables and gender and culture (Hong Kong vs. Mainland China) were also explored. Gender was more strongly associated with perceptions of stalking behavior than was culture. Gender was less strongly associated with perceptions concerning motivations for stalking and the effectiveness of coping strategies that may be employed by stalking victims than was culture. Effect sizes for all associations with culture were small, perhaps due to a high degree of similarity between the two cultures examined. The findings are generally supportive of similar results produced by previous work conducted within individualistic Western cultures, suggesting that stalking and the way that it is perceived may be universal in nature. This study concludes with the argument that legislation against stalking needs to be extended to non-Western countries, such as Hong Kong and Mainland China, as antistalking laws are relatively scarce outside Western industrialized countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against children, including corporal punishment, remains a global concern. Understanding sources of support for corporal punishment within cultures, and the potential for intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment, is essential for policy-development and community engagement to protect children. In this study, we use data from a cross-section of women in Meru County, Kenya (n = 1,974) to profile attitudes toward violence against children using the Velicer Attitudes Towards Violence–Child subscale. We find reported histories of sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect, and witnessing interpersonal violence during childhood predict more violent attitudes toward children in adulthood. The pathway between these forms of child maltreatment and violent attitudes is significantly mediated by family function, perceived stress, and attitudes toward violence against women. Interventions to prevent sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and promote attachments between parents and children may benefit future generations in this population. Furthermore, secondary prevention of the effects of these childhood adversities may require development of social support, improving family function and challenging violent attitudes against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that intimate partner violence is quite widespread throughout the world. In the case of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), studies have concluded that cultural and economic factors help to sustain the spread and maintenance of intimate partner violence in the region. Although the cultural interpretations predominate in current research, few have examined the links between religion, an important cultural variable, and intimate partner violence in SSA. Given the growth and importance of religion in African cultures, we used data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (n = 1,831) and ordinary least squares regression method to investigate the links between religious affiliation and intimate partner violence. Findings from our study point to some variations in intimate partner violence by affiliation. This is especially true with regard to women's experience with sexual violence and emotional violence. Besides religion, we also found ideologies that support wife abuse, the nature of decision-making process at the household level, and husband's use of alcohol to be important determinants of intimate partner violence in Ghana. We examined the implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) for a total of 42,054 women (15-49 years) from Ethiopia's 11 geographic/administrative regions using a stratified, two-stage cluster sample design to reflect the country's huge geographical, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. The study first identified the major socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing women's attitude toward wife beating in Ethiopia, and then provided some suggestions on what types of interventions are required to address the problems. Toward this effect, female participants were asked whether a husband is justified in beating his wife under five possible circumstances. Ironically, the majority of women support wife beating if a wife goes out without telling a husband (51.8%), neglects her children (58.1%), argues with a husband (53.4%), refuses to have sex with a husband (47.9%), and burns food while preparing meals (53.3%). The study also used the probit regression model and identified the following factors influencing women's attitude toward wife beating in Ethiopia: women's economic status, women's level of education, husband's level of education, access to media, marital status, place of residence (urban vs. rural), and women's awareness about the law against wife beating. The way forward will require the empowerment of women through education and training, an increase in women's access to resources, strong legislation against domestic violence, and creating awareness among community and religious leaders. As the best way to end intimate partner violence against women is to prevent it from happening in the first place by addressing its main causes, this study is thus of paramount importance for the overall efforts in raising awareness to prevent such violence against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]