Indigenous women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at a disproportionate and epidemic rate. A common thread among indigenous women's experiences is that of colonization, which has been linked to both IPV and other social ills. Many tools of domination and control used throughout colonization to subjugate and oppress indigenous peoples are consistent with the tactics of power and control used in IPV. Given the distinct history of colonization along with the absence of research on indigenous women from the Southeastern portion of the United States, the purpose of this critical ethnography was to understand the culture and context of IPV for women from a Southeastern tribe across the life course. Because they complimented and supplemented each other in their ability to increase understanding about indigenous women' experiences with IPV, critical theory, historical trauma, life course theory, and resilience theory guided this qualitative inquiry. Paulo Freire's vision of critical theory was used to conceptualize this dissertation within the specific historical context. Using Carspecken's critical ethnographic method, the relevant data collected for this study included 28 participant observation sessions with indigenous community members and 28 life histories with indigenous women. Data analysis followed Carpsecken's method of reconstructive analysis. The patterns of power and domination at the societal, community, and interpersonal levels were identified with the broader beliefs that might perpetuate IPV across generations. Results included key factors within the specific historical context of indigenous women that had salient linkage to IPV. The potential symptoms of historical loss and trauma, including alcohol abuse, IPV, and family breakdown, were highlighted. Women's emergent pattern of violence that occurred across the life course was delineated within the culturally specific family structure. Women's perceptions of experiences with the formal and informal support systems were explored. Likewise, the various coping strategies of women who experienced IPV were identified along with the culturally specific protective and risk factors across multiple levels. Women's suggestions for emancipation from oppression were highlighted along with the implications for social work practice and policy.

The objective of the current research was to test the initial feasibility and potential efficacy of a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for partner aggression, compared to a support and discussion control group, in a clinical sample of adults. Specifically, the study was intended to provide preliminary evidence of the impact of an ACT group on psychological and physical aggression, and to examine the processes responsible for any treatment effects. One hundred and one participants (mean age = 31; 68% female) were randomly assigned to receive ACT or the support and discussion control group. Both interventions consisted of 12 weekly 2-hour sessions and participants were assessed with self-report measures at pre-treatment, twice during treatment, at post-treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Results of growth curve modeling analyses demonstrated that participants in the ACT group had significantly greater decreases in psychological and physical aggression at post-treatment and follow-up, and also showed improvements in depressive symptoms, interpersonal problems, and social functioning. Finally, the effect of the ACT group on psychological and physical aggression was mediated by experiential avoidance, suggesting that the intervention had its effects, at least in part, through increasing emotional acceptance. These results demonstrate that an ACT approach to aggression may be a viable alternative to traditional treatments.

The objective of this study is to examine the implementation of the first Chinese anti-domestic violence law at street-level in three cities located in central China. This study aims to document these street-level workers’ experiences with domestic violence, particularly the efforts they have made against domestic violence, as well as the challenges they face in their daily work. Sixteen qualitative interviews were conducted with nineteen street-level bureaucrats who work in judicial functionary (civil court), law enforcement (police), All-China Women’s Federation and residents’ committees (mass organizations). The results are analyzed with the theory of bottom-up implementation (Lipsky, 2010; Matland, 1995) and street-level bureaucracy (Erasmus, 2015). The study found that most Chinese street-level bureaucrats commonly believe that the first Chinese Anti-DV is characterized by ambiguity of goal and ambiguity of mean. Such vagueness causes frustrations, confusions and conflicts among these workers. Additionally, based on their experiences these street-level bureaucrats reflect that they do have some degree of discretion, but they are constantly under the pressure and limitation of time, resource and heavy workload. All these factors tend to indicate that the implementation of the first Anti-DV law in China still has a very long way to go. However, the result also show that the Chinese street-level bureaucrats are working diligently to ensure the successful implementation of China’s first anti-domestic law, while actively coping with the challenges mentioned previously and developing their own ways to cease the violence. / MFS

Cette thèse porte sur l’action de deux types d’associations de femmes, présentées dans quatre régions rurales et urbaines de l’Algérie : Alger, Oran, Blida et Tipaza, dont la création est entre 1991 et 2002. Leur histoire est étroitement liée aux dynamiques des mouvements sociaux et politiques algériens durant cette période.Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une perspective féministe et se distingue par la mobilisation du concept d’empowerment introduit par Wiliam Ninacks. À travers les entretiens semi directifs et des compléments d’informations recueillis lors de l’observation participante, méthodologie utilisée pour la première fois pour étudier les associations de femmes en Algérie, deux types d’associations ont été ont été examinés. Le premier inclut deux associations intervenantes en faveur des femmes victimes de violences. Elles font en outre un travail de pression au niveau des trois pouvoirs : politique, législatif, et juridique, pour changer les lois sur la famille et celles relatives à la violence contre les femmes. Le deuxième type d’associations étudié vient en aide aux femmes rurales et artisanes.Cinq associations ont été ainsi observées. Cette thèse contribue à la connaissance des nombreux défis auxquelles elles font face dans l’établissement de pratiques et actions permettant aux femmes rurales et citadines en situation de violence, de besoin, et d’exclusion de se constituer en actrices collectives pour agir ensemble en vue de changements de leur statut social et économique / This dissertation focuses on the action of two types of women's associations, presented in four rural and urban areas of Algeria: Algiers, Oran, and Tipaza, whose creation is between 1991 and 2002. Their history is closely linked to the dynamics of Algerian social and political movements during this period.This research is part of a feminist perspective and is distinguished by the mobilization of the concept of empowerment introduced by William Ninacks.Through the semi-directive interviews and additional information gathered during the participant observation, methodology used for the first time to study women's associations in Algeria, two types of associations were Examined. The first includes two associations for women victims of violence. They also exert pressure on the three powers : political, legislative, and legal, to change family laws and those relating to violence against women. The second type of association studied supports rural and artisanal women.Five associations have been observed. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of the many challenges they face in the establishment of practices and actions enabling rural and urban women in situations of violence, need, and exclusion to establish themselves as actresses to act together in order to change their social and economic status

This research investigates the perceptions and viewpoints of staff working for the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project (HAIP) as to the impact of changes in government policy. Established in 1991 HAIP is a coordinated community response to domestic violence based on the Duluth Model. Over the last two decades governments in New Zealand have introduced policies and strategies to combat violent crime in the community predicated on the understanding that addressing violence within the family/whanau setting will assist in breaking the cycle. This research focuses on the impact of strategies which advocated inter-agency collaboration such as the VIP Pol400 Project (Pol400 Project) established in 2001 with HAIP as the lead agency. (VIP is an abbreviation standing for Violence Intervention Project). The research also set out to test the hypothesis that working within an environment marked by the introduction of policy changes and new strategies has a significant impact upon a social services agency such as HAIP. In view of the inherent complexity of investigating perceptions and viewpoints qualitative methodology was chosen for this research. Ten of the fourteen people employed by HAIP contributed to the research. Semi-structured face to face interviews and the written answers from questionnaires provided a detailed body of information which informed the narrative and descriptions of this study. An outline of relevant legislation, policy initiatives and strategies introduced over the last two decades was provided to give a framework for the study. Each of the respondents commented on issues related to funding and workload. Inadequate funding was seen to be adding to already heavy workload which continued to grow aggravated by the demands of compliance and accountability. Respondents identified some aspects of HAIP which had been affected by lack of adequate funding such as the loss of the 24/7 Crisis Line and difficulties with maintaining the parallel development policy. However, In spite of funding shortfalls respondents noted that HAIP's services continued to expand and examples were given of recent initiatives such as the establishment of home support groups. Several respondents identified the Pol400 Project as being significant development in HAIP's services. Respondents commented on its value in closing gaps in the criminal justice system's response to incidents of family violence. A detailed analysis of the Pol400 Project using archival material and using statistics from the HAIP Pol400 database demonstrated the comprehensive extent of the inter-agency collaboration. The findings of this investigation showed that respondents regarded inadequate funding and increased workload as impacting significantly on their work. However, apart from comments made in relation to some negative impacts on HAIP of the Domestic Violence Act of 1995, respondents rarely made a specific connection between these issues and their relationship to changes in government policies. This study showed that since the Pol400Project began in 2001 reported incidents of family violence and subsequent referrals rose steadily but the data showed a marked increase in activity following the involvement in 2005 of a Family Safety Team. The increase in the intake of reports was attributed, in part, to the police addressing gaps and shortfalls in their own systems. The impact of the Pol400 Project on HAIP was seen, in the main, to be contributing positively to HAIP's role in providing a seamless coordinated community response to family violence.

My research focused on five women in Aotearoa naming and defining their experiences ten or more years after leaving an intimate partner violence relationship. An increasing amount of literature has been published reporting the prevalence of intimate partner violence among women in our society, including surveys documenting devastating short and long-term health effects. However, little has been published about the long-term experiences of women who have survived such abuse. I was interested in making more visible the experiences of long-term survivors of intimate partner violence. I wondered what the challenges and legacies from experiences of intimate partner violence are and what contributes to women rebuilding their lives after intimate partner violence. In this research utilised a participatory action research approach informed by a critical feminist theoretical perspective. I selected two data collection methods, individual interviews followed by a focus group interview bringing the participants together. The findings identified nineteen themes emerging from the individual and focus group interviews. Some expressed the long-term challenges and legacies of intimate partner violence, such as feelings of powerlessness, guilt and shame and feeling silenced. Others reflected ways women rebuilt their lives, such as empowerment, resilience, courage and the importance of education and meaningful work. Interpreting the findings, empowerment was often juxtaposed with powerlessness, living side by side within the inner world of the long-term survivor of intimate partner violence in equal tension. This study affirms that challenges and legacies from intimate partner violence continue to affect women many years after leaving violence. Despite these challenges and legacies, women work very hard to rebuild their lives, care for their children and attain autonomy, independence and control of their lives. Women spent time and energy to recover ‘well enough’ from such violence, in order to lead a productive and functioning life.

This thesis is an ethnography of Bugis marriage. It is concerned with aspects of gender, sexuality and marriage in a bilateral, highly competitive, hierarchical society. ¶ I examine the fundamental concept of siri’ in relation to gender socialisation, courtship, the importance of kinship and status in marriage, how sexuality is regulated between the sexes, sex within marriage, and the dynamics of marriage, divorce, and reconciliation. The analysis considers how Islam combines with local custom (adat) in everyday practices, and how Bugis cultural specificities are affected within the national ideology of contemporary Indonesia. ¶ This ethnography explores an interpretation of Bugis social and sexual experience through examination of the construction of gender identities and how they are manifested in marriage. The thesis explores the complementarity of gender for the Bugis. Despite the ideal of feminine passivity, I demonstrate that women exercise agency in a number of circumstances, including how they manage the sexuality of their husbands, defending siri’, the arrangement of marriage, remarrying, money management, divorce, and violent situations. I also examine the practices of illegal marriage (kawin liar) and illegal divorce (cerai liar) at local and personal levels. I analyse local and national debates on the legitimation of what is popularly known in Indonesia as ‘marriage based on religion’ (nikah secara agama) as part of the examination of Bugis marriage and marital relations. ¶ My thesis contributes to the understanding of Bugis notions of sexuality, gender and social location, and how these interact with siri’. I explore how and why violence occurs within marriage. I use a combination of informal interviews, participant observation and focus group discussions as well textual analysis of traditional manuscripts and incorporation of oral traditions.

This thesis is a study of the processes by which domestic violence, as framed by Australian feminists from the early 1970s, was inserted into the policy agenda of governments, and developed into a comprehensive body of policy. The thesis covers the period between 1970 and 1985. Acknowledging the federal nature of the Australian polity, it examines these processes that unfolded within both the Australian Commonwealth government and the government of New South Wales. The thesis provides a political history of domestic violence policy making in the identified period. It shows that policy responses to women escaping violent partners included both immediate measures (such as protection and justice strategies) and more long-term measures to attempt to secure the conditions for women�s financial, legal and personal autonomy. The elements found to have been most significant in shaping the development of such policies were the roles and identities of the participant players, including the driving role of the women suffering partner violence; the lack of contest in the early stages of policy achievement with established professionals in related fields; the uniquely �hybrid� role and positioning of refuge feminists; and the degree of integration and continuity which characterised the domestic violence policy process. The thesis also investigates the relationship between domestic violence policy making and the broader women�s policy enterprise. It demonstrates the care with which those involved avoided the dangers of sensationalism and tokenism while striving for an appropriate policy response. The thesis pays particular attention to the circumstances in which feminists in the early 1970s experienced their �discovery� of domestic violence. It demonstrates the significance of social and economic circumstances in shaping the political options of feminists in the thesis period and those preceding it, and the extent to which policy possibilities are shaped by representations of the nature and functions of policy itself. Finally, the thesis investigates the relationship between the strategic processes undertaken and the policy outcomes produced, finding that policies achieved in the thesis period complemented and in some ways transcended accepted policy practice in the relevant period.

Family Law within Australia has undergone extensive legislative and operational changes since its inception. It is an area of law that impacts upon a number of stakeholders such as children, parents, law enforcement agencies, the Government and judicial officers. The research took a small facet of the operation of the Family Law Act 1975, namely the enforcement of parenting orders by police services. The focus of the research was to unfold the process and difficulties encountered by police services when executing a recovery order issued by the Courts under s. 67 of the Family Law Act 1975. It further explored police perspective, training and organisational service delivery, in carrying out their duties. Two qualitative methodological approaches were used in this research. The main approach used was Grounded Theory. Narrative Inquiry was also incorporated into the research. The objective of Narrative Inquiry is to create social context from story telling. Participants were asked to describe their experiences when executing recovery orders. Interviews were undertaken with members from the Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) who have had experience with the execution of recovery orders. These participants were also asked to construct the process when a recovery order is executed and to describe the atmosphere. In addition, journaling and observations were used. These observations took place in the Family Court and Federal Magistrates' Court in Victoria. The findings and relevant literature indicated that police disliked becoming involved in executing recovery orders. The Police perceived family law in general not to be a central area of policing. These findings parallel earlier findings from an Australian Parliamentary report in 1992. Furthermore, the findings indicated that little organisational commitment was placed on the function of enforcing recovery orders. This was indicated by the limited and inconsistent resources provided by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to fulfil their obligations, and the lack of training offered to police members. The findings indicated that the Police would take initial steps prior to executing the order. They would contact the applicant parent to assist with inquiries to locate a child, assess variables such as the potential for violence and arrange with the applicant parent where the child would be delivered. In addition, even though the findings outlined that recovery orders were fairly non-complex to execute, at times there would be difficulties in locating a child and finalising arrangements for a child to be returned to a parent. The findings also indicated that there was no clear practice as to which section of the Victoria Police would execute a recovery order if requested by the AFP. Whilst the findings need to be considered carefully in light of the small sample group, it did indicate that there are some difficulties with the process and value placed by police services within Australia on the execution of recovery orders.

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur olika samhällsinstansers syn på våld i samkönade parrelationer och vad de gör för att arbeta kring denna problematik. Ämnet studerades med en kvalitativ ansats. Urvalet av den teoretiska populationen utfördes genom strategiskt urval. Den insamlingsmetod som användes för data var delfimetoden. Vid analysen användes tidigare forskning samt queerteorin som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Analysen resulterade i tre huvudkategorier/teman<em>; synen på våld i samkönade parrelationer,</em> <em>utbildning & samverkan</em> samt<em> bemötande</em>. De slutsatser som drogs var att ämnet behöver synliggöras bättre och att utbildning/information bör ges i större utsträckning, både kring våld i samkönade parrelationer, men även kring andra sexuella läggningar än heterosexualitet generellt. Utbildning/information efterfrågas även för att kunna erbjuda samma stöd och hjälp för alla individer som utsatts för våld i en nära parrelation.  </p>