Domestic violence does not discriminate and is prevalent throughout the word regardless of race, age or socio-economic status. Why, then, do reactions and response differ so widely throughout the world? While some countries work diligently to address the matter through prevention and training, others take a ‘hands-off’ approach in their response. This book is one of the first to investigate domestic violence on a global scale and provides best practices gleaned from various countries around the world to paint a detailed picture of how police response to domestic violence is currently being conducted and provide training bodies with up-to-date information to enhance current curricula. Domestic Violence in International Context brings together expert scholars native to twelve different countries to examine the history and scope of domestic violence and how it is being addressed, repressed or ignored in their thirteen respective countries. Their specialised knowledge and unique data come together to create a series of snapshots that will guide nations, societies and communities worldwide in formulating effective strategies to prevent, intervene and combat this epidemic, and examine partnerships and programmes already in place. This book is essential reading for practitioners, policy makers, and human rights organisations, as well as students and scholars of criminology, social work, sociology and law.

Domestic violence does not discriminate and is prevalent throughout the word regardless of race, age or socio-economic status. Why, then, do reactions and response differ so widely throughout the world? While some countries work diligently to address the matter through prevention and training, others take a ‘hands-off’ approach in their response. This book is one of the first to investigate domestic violence on a global scale and provides best practices gleaned from various countries around the world to paint a detailed picture of how police response to domestic violence is currently being conducted and provide training bodies with up-to-date information to enhance current curricula. Domestic Violence in International Context brings together expert scholars native to twelve different countries to examine the history and scope of domestic violence and how it is being addressed, repressed or ignored in their thirteen respective countries. Their specialised knowledge and unique data come together to create a series of snapshots that will guide nations, societies and communities worldwide in formulating effective strategies to prevent, intervene and combat this epidemic, and examine partnerships and programmes already in place. This book is essential reading for practitioners, policy makers, and human rights organisations, as well as students and scholars of criminology, social work, sociology and law.

This volume addresses the varied response to domestic violence in a comparative, international context. The chapters are laid out in a consistent format, to cover: the nature of the domestic violence problem, theoretical explanations, the criminal justice response, as well as health care and social service interventions in each country. The intent of the book is to provide an introduction to the attitudes and responses to domestic violence in various regions, to provide meaningful comparisons and share information on best practices for different populations and regions. There are considerable variations to domestic violence approaches across cultures and regions. In some places, it is considered a “private” or “family” matter, which can help it perpetuate. At the same time, the United States’ approach to domestic violence has been criticized by some as being too focused on the criminal justice system, rather than other types of interventions which aim to keep families intact. This comprehensive work aims to highlight innovative approaches from several regions, important cultural sensitivities and concerns, and provide analysis to identify the strengths and weakness of various approaches. This work will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, as well as related fields who deal with domestic violence and violence against women, including sociology and social work, and international justice. Practitioners and policymakers will also find it informative.

This one-of-a-kind edited collection draws on the expertise of authors from 16 countries representing 17 cultures to tell the story of domestic violence in their respective parts of the world. The book incorporates a strengths-based approach, including individual, relationship, community, and societal strengths. The collection draws on multiple perspectives (academics, counselors, organizers, activists, and victims) to determine strengths and analyze how they can translate into greater safety for victims, increased accountability of perpetrators, and improved policy formation and research. Each chapter focuses on the lived experiences of victims of intimate partner violence, child abuse, or elder abuse and includes information about the abuser, the family, the community, and the culture.

This book makes an important contribution to the international understanding of domestic violence and shares the latest knowledge of what causes and sustains domestic violence between intimate partners, as well as the effectiveness of responses in working with adult and child victims, and those who act abusively towards their partners. Drawing upon a wide range of contemporary research from across the globe, it recognises that domestic violence is both universal, but also shaped by local cultures and contexts. Divided into seven parts: • Introduction. • Theoretical perspectives on domestic violence and abuse. • Domestic violence and abuse across the life-course. • Manifestations of domestic violence and abuse. • Responding to domestic violence and abuse. • Researching domestic violence and abuse. • Concluding thoughts. It will be of interest to all academics and students working in social work, allied health, sociology, criminology and gender studies as well as policy professionals looking for new approaches to the subject.

Domestic Violence and International Law argues that certain forms of domestic violence are a violation of international human rights law. The argument is based on the international law principle that, where a state fails to protect a vulnerable group of people from harm, whether perpetrated by the state or private actors, it has breached its obligations to protect against human rights violation. This book provides a comprehensive legal analysis for why a state should be accountable in international law for allowing women to suffer extreme forms of domestic violence and how this can help individual victims. It is irrelevant that the violence is perpetrated by individuals and not state actors such as soldiers or the police. The state's breach of its responsibility is in its failure to act effectively in domestic violence cases; and in its silent endorsement of the violence, it becomes complicit. The book seeks to reformulate academic and political debate on domestic violence and the responsibility of states under international law. It is based on empirical data combined with an honest assessment of whether or not domestic violence is recognised by the international community as a human rights violation. 'Domestic Violence in International Law [...] provides an original, provocative, and much needed legal framework for the coherent development of a norm against domestic violence in international human rights law...Dr. Meyersfeld has developed a thoroughgoing analysis that asks and answers the most difficult questions often neglected by academics, lawyers and activists who dismiss the possibility that systemic violence against women could violate international law...Most fundamentally, this book is memorable for the hope and optimism it expresses about the transformative possibilities of international law. For without compromising such intensely human values as privacy, autonomy and cultural identity, Dr. Meyersfeld moves her reader with an abiding conviction: that international law, fueled with the power of transnational actors, can propel public actors to protect abused and vulnerable people in their most private worlds.' From the Foreword by Harold Koh, The Legal Adviser, United States Department of State (2009-).

This book aims to bring together the pioneering research on gender based violence that has been conducted by the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. Topics discussed include violence in young people’s relationships, prostitution policy, disabled women’s experiences of domestic violence, men as victims of domestic violence, feminist movements and methodological concerns. This book will have a wide appeal, as each individual chapter builds on and contributes to existing global and national concerns about gender based violence. The book starts with an exploration of key theoretical, conceptual and methodological issues in researching gender based violence, then moves on to look at specific national (UK) based empirical studies. The final section brings together a wide range of research from diverse contexts, ranging from China, Iran, India and refugee camps in Rwanda. The book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, students and practitioners who have an interest in this area, as well as for policymakers around the world. It will also be of interest to the general reader who wants to learn more about what is now a highly topical issue.

The Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention) was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 7 April 2011. The Convention entered into force on 1 August 2014 and has currently been ratified by 22 states. This Convention constitutes a crucial development as regards the movement to combat gender-based violence, as it sets new legally binding standards in this area. This book provides a detailed analysis of the Convention and its potential to make an impact in relation to the specific issue of domestic violence. The book places the Istanbul Convention in context with regard to developments relating to domestic violence as a human rights issue. The background to the adoption of the Convention is examined, and the text of this instrument is analysed in detail. Comparative analysis is engaged in with reference to the duties that have been placed on states by other bodies such as the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the European Court of Human Rights. Comparisons are also drawn with the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women and with the relevant provisions of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. An in-depth examination of the advantages of the adoption of the Istanbul Convention by the Council of Europe is provided along with a detailed analysis of the challenges faced by the Convention. The book concludes with a number of brief reflections in relation to the question of whether the adoption of a UN convention on violence against women may be a possible development, and the potential such an instrument holds, in the context of domestic violence.

There is a growing knowledge base in understanding the differences and similarities between women and men, as well as the diversities among women and sexualities. Although genetic and biological characteristics define human beings conventionally as women and men, their experiences are contextualized in multiple dimensions in terms of gender, sexuality, class, age, ethnicity, and other social dimensions. Beyond the biological and genetic basis of gender differences, gender intersects with culture and other social locations which affect the socialization and development of women across their life span. This handbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date resource to understand the intersectionality of gender differences, to dispel myths, and to examine gender-relevant as well as culturally relevant implications and appropriate interventions. Featuring a truly international mix of contributors, and incorporating cross-cultural research and comparative perspectives, this handbook will inform mainstream psychology of the international literature on the psychology of women and gender.

This book examines international perspectives on intimate partner violence (IPV). It highlights the current state of IPV prevention and intervention efforts across countries, including Colombia, Iran, Russia, China, India, Turkey, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Finland, and the United States. The book examines the countries of origin in context (e.g., population, area, religion, ethnic diversity) and includes current rates of IPV in each country. In addition, it addresses growth areas and challenges regarding IPV prevention and intervention, including legal issues as well as cultural and social contexts and their relation to IPV – and the clinical interventions used – within each country. The book discusses challenges and opportunities for growth and seeks to gain a more robust and systemic perspective on the global phenomenon of IPV. It examines how larger social, cultural, and global factors affect the lives of the individuals whom family therapists serve and advocate for as well as provide guidance for culturally appropriate clinical and prevention practices. Key areas of coverage include: · International perspectives on intimate partner violence. · Intervention and resources available for victims of intimate partner violence. · Policies and laws relating to intimate partner violence. International Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence is an essential resource for clinicians, therapists, and practitioners as well as researchers, professors, and graduate students in family studies, clinical psychology, and public health, as well as all interrelated disciplines.