Bakgrund Våld mot kvinnor är ett globalt folkhälsoproblem som drabbar alla åldrar och samhällsklasser och strider mot mänskliga rättigheter. Våld i nära relationer är centralt för våldsutsatta kvinnor. Sjukvården och vårdarbetarna har en betydande roll för våldsutsatta kvinnor kring stöttning, vård och identifiering av kvinnors våldsutsatthet. Dock kan mötet med våldsutsatta kvinnor vara tufft för sjuksköterskor och vårdarbetare då det är lätt att ta med arbetet hem till privatlivet. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva våldsutsatta kvinnors erfarenheter och upplevelser av bemötandet från hälso- och sjukvårdpersonal.  Metod En litteraturöversikt vars resultat bygger på tio kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar. Vid datainsamling användes databaserna PubMed, Cinahl Complete och Nursing & Allied Health Premium. Resultat Resultatet visade att två huvudteman med nio tillhörande underteman låg till grund för våldsutsatta kvinnors erfarenheter och upplevelser av bemötandet från hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal. Tema 1. Vikten av ett empatiskt bemötande; Att känna sig omhändertagen; Att bli tillfrågad om våld; Känslor av skam; Att känna rädsla; Att känna sig förminskad; Vikten av en förtroendefull relation. Tema 2. Vårdmiljöns betydelse av mötet; Tidsbrist; Brist på kontinuitet; Brist på integritet. Slutsats Våldsutsatta kvinnors erfarenheter och upplevelser av bemötandet från hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal beskrevs som en dualitet mellan lidande och omhändertagande. Sambanden mellan kvinnornas berättelser låg i vårdens empatiska bemötande och vårdmiljön. / Background Violence against women is a global public health issue that affects all ages and social classes and violates human rights. Domestic violence is an essential form of violence against women. Healthcare and caregivers play a significant role for women exposed to violence in providing support, care, and identifying women's vulnerability to violence. However, the encounter with abused women can be challenging for nurses and healthcare workers, as it is easy to carry the work home into their personal lives. Aim The aim was to describe abused women’s experiences of being cared for by healthcare professionals. Method A literature review whose results are based on ten qualitative scientific articles. The databases PubMed, Cinahl Complete and Nursing & Allied Health Premium were used for data collection. Results The results indicated that two main themes with nine associated sub-themes formed the basis for abused women’s experiences of being cared for by healthcare professionals. Theme 1: The importance of empathetic treatment; Feeling cared for; Being asked about violence; Feelings of shame; Feeling fear; Feeling diminished; The importance of a trusting relationship. Theme 2: The importance of the care environment for the meeting; Lack of time; Lack of continuity; Lack of integrity. Conclusions Abused women’s experiences of being cared for by healthcare professionals were described as a duality between suffering and care. The connections between women's narratives lay in the empathetic approach of the healthcare and the care environment.

The purpose of this thesis is to emphasize the significance of narrative in giving voice to survivors of gender-based violence, and in breaking the silence surrounding this issue – matters that statistical reports tend to overlook. The voices of survivors of gender-based violence are often disregarded or not heard in statistical reports, despite their significance for understanding and addressing it. Therefore, I seek to deepen our understanding of the consequences of gender-based violence by reading survivors’ narratives alongside a number of philosophical thinkers who are not typically read together, but whose work can contribute to a better understanding of the violence itself and the narration that arises in its wake, namely Adriana Cavarero, Susan J. Brison, Kelly Oliver, and María Lugones.  By applying several philosophical concepts to listen to what the narratives of the victims express, I also intend to contextualize them within a larger societal framework, to better understand the impact of gender-based violence. I will be drawing from Susan Brison’s concept aftermath, Adriana Cavarero’s discussion of relating narratives, horrorism, and narrative against destruction, as well as María Lugones’s concept “world”-travelling. The narratives I engage tend to convey that gaslighting is a significant aspect of the abuse, which is why I choose to analyze it with reference to Kelly Oliver’s work.  My hope is that my thesis will complement and enrich the quantitative and statistical approach represented by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. I prioritize the voices of survivors, allowing their narratives to guide the discourse. This approach, influenced by Cavarero, emphasizes the importance of centering the experiences of those directly affected by violence, and by listening to their stories I want to increase awareness and understanding of the violence perpetrated against them. In the face of what Cavarero calls ontological violence, it becomes important to start listening to the voices of the survivors, as they need to be heard. I also aim to initiate societal debates and actions that can lead to change and support for those affected by gender-based violence.

This qualitative case study examines technology-facilitated gender-based violence in relation to network hospitality platform Couchsurfing.com. Motivated by experiences of many women, including my own, and an identified research gap in the academia on the topic, the research seeks to understand how Couchsurfing.com facilitates gender-based violence, with a specific focus on women. The present research is based on a single, explanatory case study methodology, focused on the thematic of analysis of the podcast “Verified”, concerning the case of Italian Couchsurfer and policeman Dino Maglio, who systematically drugged and sexually assaulted his Couchsurfing guests. Key findings highlight how Couchsurfing enabled and perpetuated gender-based violence, by not preventing the creation of new profiles and possible retaliation against negative references, and most importantly, by never admitting to any responsibility. While this violence was facilitated by Couchsurfing.com, other hegemonic social structures and institutions were found in the study to be further perpetuating this violence, in particular the police and the judiciary system. While acknowledging the limitation of a single case study, this master’s thesis contributes to an ever-increasing body of literature on technology-facilitated gender-based violence by shedding light on the different dynamics at play in an online-to-offline Couchsurfing exchange.

Power imbalances and gender-based violence (GBV) have increasingly been cited as important determinants putting women at risk of HIV infections. Studies have shown that globally one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. The study explored working women’s perceptions of power, gender-based violence and HIV-infection risks. A qualitative, explorative study was conducted among female employees in an airline business in Namibia. Five women participated in in-depth, face-to-face interviews. The findings show that all of the participants experienced power imbalances and GBV in their intimate relationships. All of the women reported emotional or psychological abuse, whilst the majority were subjected to economic abuse, followed by physical abuse, and two alleged having been sexually abused. The study concludes with specific recommendations for the development and successful implementation of workplace policy and programmes to protect and promote women’s rights. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The thesis Framing of Me Too Campaign in Selected Czech Media examines how selected Czech newspapers and magazines represented the Me Too movement. This movement is considered to be an example of hashtag activism which relates to sexual harassment and gender based violence. This thesis draws both from theoretical and analytical concept of media framing. Using qualitative analysis based on grounded theory approach - more specifically open and axial coding - the research aims at identification and description of news frames that appears in analysed articles. The sample is composed of selected articles published at newspapers and magazines, including Hospodářské noviny Lidové noviny, Právo, Blesk, Reflex, Blesk pro ženy and Respekt. Axial coding stage revealed ten news frames which were integrated into three major categories: (1) Social consequences of the Me Too movement (2) Me Too in the context of Czech Republic and (3) Film festivals (and awards) in the light of the Me Too movement.

By taking the recognition of persons as rights-holders in the framework of international human rights into account, this study directs its attention to women in protracted refugee situations, restricted to stay in camps also when their human rights are at risk due to various forms of violence. The question in focus is the following: To what extent may there be a risk that women in a refugee camp context, distinguished by a protracted refugee situation, do not become visible as rights-holders and entrusted to act with regard to international human rights and the problem of violence against women, especially domestic violence? The research process has taken the form of a continuous dialogue with the material for the study, a dialogue directing attention to material from an established international human rights system on one hand and material dealing with a local refugee camp context on the other. The study finds its entry-point primarily in the context of the international human rights treaty the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), including the work of the CEDAW Committee as a treaty body, and also the international mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences. Due to the presence of a variety of justice mechanisms in the camps, certain aspects of a local customary law tradition are also addressed. The existence of an unlocked legal door for women to take actions in family law matters, or in cases of gender-based violence is something not to take for granted. The hindrances could lie deep in the legal system practiced. It could be an issue of not being entrusted by the structure of the system to act in person, as woman, with a legal capacity and by own right before the law. The study underlines the importance of sharpened awareness and analysis of the presence of a complex legal context and a variety of customary law traditions in the camps. It appears from the study that for women in a refugee camp to be able to act as rights-holders and claim human rights as laid down in human rights conventions, the issue of visibility is not only a matter of training in presenting facts on the ground in front of local authorities. To be visible in addressing the problem of gender-based violence and gaps in protection of human rights in a refugee camp context is first and foremost an issue for women to be recognized the right to act in legal matters. It is an issue of having the freedom of expression and to be recognized the social and legal status to act in their own capacity in front of the local legal structures, including the local customary law context, and to address international human rights monitoring mechanisms, such as the CEDAW Committee or the Special Rapporteur.

The dissertation analyzes obstacles and potential in democracies, specifically Canada, Sweden, and United States, to effectively address empirically documented harms of pornography. Legislative and judicial challenges under different democratic and legal frameworks are compared. Adopting a problem-driven theoretical approach, the reality of pornography’s harms is analyzed. Evidence shows its production exploits existing inequalities among persons typically drawn from other forms of prostitution who suffer multiple disadvantages, such as extreme poverty, childhood sexual abuse, and race and gender discrimination, making survival alternatives remote. Consumption is also divided by sex. A majority of young adult men consumes pornography frequently; women rarely do, usually not unless initiated by others. After consumption, studies show many normal men become substantially more sexually aggressive and increasingly trivialize and support violence against women. Vulnerable populations—including battered, raped, or prostituted women—are most harmed as a result. The impact of attempts to address pornography’s harms on democratic rights and freedoms, specifically gender equality and speech, is explored through the case studies. Democracies are found to provide more favorable conditions for legal challenges to pornography’s harms when recognizing substantive (not formal) equality in law, and when promoting representation of perspectives and interests of groups particularly injured by pornography. State-implemented approaches such as criminal obscenity laws are found less effective. More victim-centered and survivor-initiated civil rights approaches would be more responsive and remedial—a finding with implications for other politico-legal problems, such as global warming, that disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations traditionally largely excluded from decision-making.

Power imbalances and gender-based violence (GBV) have increasingly been cited as important determinants putting women at risk of HIV infections. Studies have shown that globally one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. The study explored working women’s perceptions of power, gender-based violence and HIV-infection risks. A qualitative, explorative study was conducted among female employees in an airline business in Namibia. Five women participated in in-depth, face-to-face interviews. The findings show that all of the participants experienced power imbalances and GBV in their intimate relationships. All of the women reported emotional or psychological abuse, whilst the majority were subjected to economic abuse, followed by physical abuse, and two alleged having been sexually abused. The study concludes with specific recommendations for the development and successful implementation of workplace policy and programmes to protect and promote women’s rights. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

No description available.

This thesis sets out to provide what is perceived as the nature of Islam and background that inform the interpretation of the two novels ofMariama Ba as well as that of selected works by fellow Muslim writer, N awal El-Saadawi. Although the question of gender is carefully addressed, the principal viewpoint is Islamic theocratic rather than purely feminist. This study surveys the struggle of these two women writers to claim public space in a dominant patriarchal society. It examines the socio-political conditions affecting women in the Arab peninsula before the rise of Islam, also called Jahiliyyah, from Islam's inception (622 AD). It notes that the principle of equality of all the believers was established by the injunction in the Qur'an, and endorsed by Muhammad, the Prophet, after whose death, manipulation of the sacred texts, especially of the Hadiths, took place. This led to opposition to gender equality; while fitna (civil war) in Medina, led the Prophet to re-institute the hijablveil, in order to protect women from being sexually harassed. The significance of the hijab is then explored, and Fatima Mernissi's text Women and Islam (1987; 1992) is used as seminal to the argument that the hijab was not instituted to put a barrier between men and women. The question of how the Islamic tradition succeeded in transforming the Muslim woman into a submissive, marginal creature, one who once buried herself behind a veil, is considered in the light of feminist theory and practice in both the Third and Arab worlds as well as in terms of the postcolonial notion of 'writing back'. The works of Ba and El-Saadawi, chosen for discussion in this thesis, examine these common issues, and underscore the entitlement of women to equality. The proposition, that Muslim women talk/write back, is epitomized in Ramatoulaye's forceful wordsuttered after thirty years of silence and harassment: 'This time I shall speak out' (So Long a Letter, 1980; 1989: 58). This study also shows that both Ba and El-Saadawi (by employing the journalisme-verite approach) move beyond gender and cultural issues to explore the universal nature of man and woman, and that in accordance with Muslim theocracy, these writers ultimately advocate the notion of redemption through humanity, coincidentally expressed in the Wolofproverb: 'Man, man is his own remedy!' (Scarlet Song, 1981; 1994: 165). Furthermore, within the context of these concerns, a few speculative remarks on the likely future ofMuslim women in the Arab and African world are made, arguing that had Ba's life not been cut short so tragically, it is reasonable to suppose that she would, like ElSaadawi, have continued to advocate a holistic, healthy Muslim society, in which the humane treatment of women would prevail. Finally, in terms of the title Beyond the veil: Muslim women write back, an attempt has been made to show how both Ba and El-Saadawi strive by 'writing back' to move 'beyond' the veil, speaking out on behalf of fellow Muslim women in Africa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 1999. / gm2014 / English / unrestricted