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Accounting for safety : a sample of women victims' experiences of safety through the Waitakere Family Violence Court Morgan, Mandy; Coombes, Leigh; Te Hiwi, Erika; McGray, Sarah

By: Morgan, Mandy.
Contributor(s): Coombes, Leigh | Te Hiwi, Erika | McGray, Sarah.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Palmerston North, N.Z. Massey University 2007Description: 180 p. ; computer file : PDF format (1.85MB).Subject(s): ABUSED WOMEN | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | FAMILY VIOLENCE COURT | INTERVENTION | JUSTICE | LEGAL SERVICES | PROTECTION ORDERS | TREATMENT | VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE | SUPPORT SERVICES | NEW ZEALAND | AUCKLAND | WAITAKERE | PREVENTIONOnline resources: Click here to access online Summary: This research report, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, looks into the safety experiences of women whose partners have been convicted of violence against them is the third study in a programme of evaluative research of the Waitakere Family Violence Court. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of some women victims who have been clients of community victim advocates during and after court proceedings in which their partners were sentenced to "come up if called upon" as a result of pleading guilty to family violence charges. How the court's provision of victim advocacy services affects safety outcomes for victims and their families is a particular focus. An interpretivist research methodology was chosen in order to identify diversity and accommodate the diverse experiences within the narrative accounts of the participants. The particular methodology of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen as the most appropriate because it utilises the meanings ascribed by individuals to events as the central research concern. Interviews were conducted with nine women victims and three key informant advocates to identify superordinate and subordinate themes. Key findings from the interviews are presented according to the themes identified. The researchers conclude that the arrest of an intimate partner for a violent offence constitutes a crisis within an ongoing pattern of controlling violence and abuse. Familial, community and social expectations leave women victims carrying multiple burdens of responsibility for their own victimisation and for their safety as well as the protection of their children. In this situation, victim advocacy involves collaborative interagency responses that are able to share a few of the burdens of these responsibilities at times when victims are experiencing traumatic re-offending. Community victim advocates play a vital role in working with women victims to provide reliable information on their safety to the court. They bring specialist knowledge of the psycho-social effects of ongoing intimate violence into the court's decision making process. In meeting the goal of protecting victims, community victim advocates are at the heart of the responses that enhance their safety. Building stronger, better resourced and more extensive coordinated responses provides the best opportunities for sharing the victims' burdens more widely. The responsibility for stopping the violence remains with the perpetrators and within social relationships that continue to support violence in our homes. Record #2660
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This research report, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, looks into the safety experiences of women whose partners have been convicted of violence against them is the third study in a programme of evaluative research of the Waitakere Family Violence Court. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of some women victims who have been clients of community victim advocates during and after court proceedings in which their partners were sentenced to "come up if called upon" as a result of pleading guilty to family violence charges. How the court's provision of victim advocacy services affects safety outcomes for victims and their families is a particular focus. An interpretivist research methodology was chosen in order to identify diversity and accommodate the diverse experiences within the narrative accounts of the participants. The particular methodology of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen as the most appropriate because it utilises the meanings ascribed by individuals to events as the central research concern. Interviews were conducted with nine women victims and three key informant advocates to identify superordinate and subordinate themes. Key findings from the interviews are presented according to the themes identified. The researchers conclude that the arrest of an intimate partner for a violent offence constitutes a crisis within an ongoing pattern of controlling violence and abuse. Familial, community and social expectations leave women victims carrying multiple burdens of responsibility for their own victimisation and for their safety as well as the protection of their children. In this situation, victim advocacy involves collaborative interagency responses that are able to share a few of the burdens of these responsibilities at times when victims are experiencing traumatic re-offending. Community victim advocates play a vital role in working with women victims to provide reliable information on their safety to the court. They bring specialist knowledge of the psycho-social effects of ongoing intimate violence into the court's decision making process. In meeting the goal of protecting victims, community victim advocates are at the heart of the responses that enhance their safety. Building stronger, better resourced and more extensive coordinated responses provides the best opportunities for sharing the victims' burdens more widely. The responsibility for stopping the violence remains with the perpetrators and within social relationships that continue to support violence in our homes. Record #2660

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