One in three women
Violence against women in close relationships is a widespread phenomenon found in societies all over the world, across all socioeconomic classes, cultures and geographic areas.
Almost one out of three women who have been in a relationship is estimated to have been abused by a partner during her lifetime.
This social problem has long been a public concern, and domestic abuse has been a target of both criminalization and socio-political efforts in many countries, and certainly in Sweden, where the current study was performed.
Little is known about the initial revealing process when victims of domestic abuse break their silence and tell family, friends, neighbours or colleagues.
The study reveals the dynamics resulting in the interviewed women’s first disclosure of being abused and also discusses the nuances in disclosure decisions and offer insight into what is crucial for making domestic abuse visible to others.
Reasons for hesitating
The study draws on qualitative interviews with 21 Swedish women and analyses the interactional and emotional processes of the first disclosure. Shame, perpetrator threats, child custody issues, fear over increased or expanded violence, and how disclosure will affect social interactions were mentioned as reasons for hesitating to reveal the abuse to their social network.
Women who had a planned disclosure had decided to tell someone regardless of concerns about potential negative outcomes, referring to the need for emotional and practical support. These women told a person of their choice in a situation they themselves chose.
Sometimes the disclosure wasn't planned
Women also revealed the abuse as an unplanned response to a specific situation described as turning points. Unplanned disclosures were also a result of someone in the woman’s network noticing the abuse, more or less forcing the woman to tell.
A hidden crime
Considering that being in an abusive relationship is not altogether unusual, and that the violence is illegal and in contemporary society publicly condemned and morally questioned, it can seem like a paradox that many women do not disclose the abuse and seek help.
Shame, a desire to protect the perpetrator, stigma, guilt and fear are some reasons that women subjected to abuse give when explaining why they do not turn to the police or seek help from other official institutions.
Because of these obstacles, a large proportion of abuse is not visible in official statistics; thus, violence in close relationships is often referred to as a ‘hidden crime’. Violence in close relationships may also be hidden to relatives, friends and colleagues.
- Read the full article on Taylor & Francis Online tandfonline.com
- More about Susanne Boëthius on her personal page soc.lu.se/en/susanne-boethius
- More about Malin Åkerström on her personal page soc.lu.se/en/malin-akerstrom
