This thesis will uncover how law and policy, as well as how social workers speak to their practice, shape how the Manitoba child welfare system intervenes in cases of violence against mothers. By searching for the dominant themes of "invisible fathers" and "mothers failing to protect", this project substantiates how these themes contribute to the failure of the current system to hold the perpetrator accountable for his violence. I set out to confirm the argument that men need to be included as both risks and assets in the frame of our child welfare lens when assessing risk for children, in order to realize a feminist perspective in our work with families. Discourse analysis methods from a number of sources were drawn on to reveal and analyze how the discourse of "mothers failing to protect" has emerged, and how it informs child welfare practice and policy in ways that harm mothers and children.

Domestic violence is a global issue, and despite awareness of the issue increasing, the prevalence to which women are being physically and mentally abused is increasing. This study aimed to qualitatively investigate the impact of cultural barriers on the provision of aid to victims of abuse from the perspectives of social workers within a domestic violence care organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Social workers within the organisation were interviewed to examine their personal experiences of working with clients from different cultural backgrounds and the results were analysed using the ecological model and the intersectional theory, as well as using earlier research conducted on the issue. The findings showed that the culture of a client can have an effect with regards to abused women seeking help, though the practices of the organisation were generally not impacted based on the cultural background of a client.

Violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships is, at present, a prominent phenomenon in South Africa. Domestic violence against women and children in South Africa is widespread and on the increase, also in Potchefstroom. Yet limited interventions are available. The interventions that are available include the SAPS, the court for the protection order, NGO’s and social workers. Female victims need measures that focus on building and empowering them with skills. Therefore the researcher adapted the Personal Growth Programme of FAMSA in Welkom to cater for the needs of female victims of domestic violence who are currently or were previously in an abusive relationship. The newly formulated Personal Empowerment Training Programme (PETP) is a tool that provides the female victims with the opportunity to deal with poor self–image, emotional demoralisation, loss of selfhood, self–blame and shame. Aim The aim of the research was to determine the effect of the PETP on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of female victims of domestic violence in Potchefstroom. Method The main core of the research can be depicted as programme evaluation in which an evaluative research design was used. In the main study an experimental group was subjected to the PETP, while the control group was not. However, both experiential group and control group had to complete the pre–post questionnaire. Results The results proved that the PETP had a positive impact on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of female victims affected by domestic violence. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This thesis will uncover how law and policy, as well as how social workers speak to their practice, shape how the Manitoba child welfare system intervenes in cases of violence against mothers. By searching for the dominant themes of "invisible fathers" and "mothers failing to protect", this project substantiates how these themes contribute to the failure of the current system to hold the perpetrator accountable for his violence. I set out to confirm the argument that men need to be included as both risks and assets in the frame of our child welfare lens when assessing risk for children, in order to realize a feminist perspective in our work with families. Discourse analysis methods from a number of sources were drawn on to reveal and analyze how the discourse of "mothers failing to protect" has emerged, and how it informs child welfare practice and policy in ways that harm mothers and children.

The aim of this thesis was to study how social workers in social services in several municipalities perceive that they interpret the concept of domestic violence and how they believe they would act when it comes to different types of domestic violence. The thesis has focused on three types of violence; physical, psychological and economical. Seven social workers were interviewed with a thematised interview guide and six vignettes. The theoretical perspectives applied in the analysis were the process of normalization and the continuum of violence. The results showed that the social workers did not interpret domestic violence unanimous, and they had different ideas of how they would act in the vignettes. To sum up, the study showed that the social workers found it easier to identify and define physical violence as domestic violence and they tended to more frequently suggest the couples in the vignettes to separate as well as to protect the victim of violence. In comparison to physical violence, the social workers found it more difficult to identify and interpret psychological and economical violence, and tended to suggest the couple to stay together and try family counselling.

Kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer är ett globalt folkhälsoproblem, då våldets konsekvenser innebär ett liv av skuld, skam och lidande hos kvinnorna. Hälso- och sjukvårdspersonalen har en unik och viktig roll i att hitta och identifiera kvinnorna. Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer upplever mötet med hälso- och sjukvården. En litteraturstudie där tolv vetenskapliga artiklar har granskats och analyserats och som ligger till grund för resultatet. Resultatet bygger på tre kategorier: Att inte bli sedd och hörd, Att känna rädsla, skam och skuld samt Att inte känna stöd. Kvinnorna upplevde ett dåligt bemötande, brist på tid och kontinuitet, vilket också försvårade för kvinnorna att avslöja sin våldsutsatthet. Hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal behöver kunskap om våld i nära relationer samt handlingsplaner och riktlinjer för att bättre förstå och hjälpa den våldsutsatta kvinnan. Mer forskning ur ett patientperspektiv för både manliga och kvinnliga våldsutsatta vore önskvärt. / Women who are exposed to domestic violence is a global public health problem as the consequences of violence means a life of guilt, shame and suffering of women. Healthcare professionals have a unique and important role in identifying these women. The aim of the study was to describe how women facing domestic violence experience the encounter with healthcare. A literature study with twelve scientific articles have been reviewed and analyzed and is the basis of the results. Results are based on three categories: Not to be seen and heard, To feel fear, shame and guilt and To not feel support. Women experienced a bad attitude, lack of time and continuity, which makes it harder for the women to reveal their exposure to violence. Healthcare professionals need knowledge about domestic violence and action plans and guidelines to better understand and help the abused woman. More research from a patient perspective for both male and female victims would be desirable.

Violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships is, at present, a prominent phenomenon in South Africa. Domestic violence against women and children in South Africa is widespread and on the increase, also in Potchefstroom. Yet limited interventions are available. The interventions that are available include the SAPS, the court for the protection order, NGO’s and social workers. Female victims need measures that focus on building and empowering them with skills. Therefore the researcher adapted the Personal Growth Programme of FAMSA in Welkom to cater for the needs of female victims of domestic violence who are currently or were previously in an abusive relationship. The newly formulated Personal Empowerment Training Programme (PETP) is a tool that provides the female victims with the opportunity to deal with poor self–image, emotional demoralisation, loss of selfhood, self–blame and shame. Aim The aim of the research was to determine the effect of the PETP on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of female victims of domestic violence in Potchefstroom. Method The main core of the research can be depicted as programme evaluation in which an evaluative research design was used. In the main study an experimental group was subjected to the PETP, while the control group was not. However, both experiential group and control group had to complete the pre–post questionnaire. Results The results proved that the PETP had a positive impact on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of female victims affected by domestic violence. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The current study is part of a larger program evaluation of Caminar Latino, a community-based organization that works with Latino families affected by domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects that community-based programs have on children. We wanted to investigate the relationship between children’s knowledge of violence and their attitude towards it. We hypothesized that children who have more educational awareness of violence can better recognize it when it happens, and therefore have better coping skills. Sixteen Latino children were interviewed and results showed that there was no significant relationship between violence knowledge and attitudes. This study found correlations between the number of siblings and attitudes towards violence: The more siblings a child had, the more he/she endorsed “if you are mad at someone you can just ignore them” and the less likely he/she endorsed “you try to talk out a problem instead of fighting”. Findings show that it is important to consider siblings when exploring attitudes towards violence. The biggest limitation of this study was that these preliminary data’s sample size may have been too small to show effects. The current study is part of a larger program evaluation of Caminar Latino, a community-based organization that works with Latino families affected by domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects that community-based programs have on children. We wanted to investigate the relationship between children’s knowledge of violence and their attitude towards it. We hypothesized that children who have more educational awareness of violence can better recognize it when it happens, and therefore have better coping skills. Sixteen Latino children were interviewed and results showed that there was no significant relationship between violence knowledge and attitudes. This study found correlations between the number of siblings and attitudes towards violence: The more siblings a child had, the more he/she endorsed “if you are mad at someone you can just ignore them” and the less likely he/she endorsed “you try to talk out a problem instead of fighting”. Findings show that it is important to consider siblings when exploring attitudes towards violence. The biggest limitation of this study was that these preliminary data’s sample size may have been too small to show effects.

The thesis is divided into two parts, Part I contains four chapters which map the pattern of legal changes relating to domestic violence against women from the 18th century to the 1980s. The history is written from the viewpoint of the legal interventions available to and used by women victims of domestic violence. Statutory enactments, case law and procedural changes in the relevant areas of criminal, family (ecclesiastical) and welfare law are described. Throughout Part I the discussion of the remedies available and reforms implemented is supplemented by the inclusion of case examples and statistical evidence showing local and national patterns of use. Chapter 1 describes the period from the start of the 18th century to the begining of the 20th; Chapter 2,1900 to the 1960s, Chapter 3 from 1969 to 1977 and Chapter 4 the more recent history in the 10 years between 1977 to 1987. Part II contains five chapters and is based upon an analysis of women victim's needs in contemporary socio-legal discourse. Part II grew out of a concern about the part played by the law in the secondary assault of women. The main aim of the discussion is to look at how women victims' self defined needs inform the practice of the law and how the legal approach contributes to the creation of violent relations between men and women in the social institution of heterosexuality. Part II emphasises the use of written and spoken language in interactional settings to define women's needs. The discussion is based upon the analysis of: 1. a survey of women involved in 54 legal cases concerning their partners' behaviour supplemented by interviews with legal advisors; 2. case records obtained from solicitors' offices with the womens' permission; 3. over 300 decisions traced from the published Law Reports; 4.105 press reports of cases of domestic violence against women. Chapter 5 describes the method employed in the research for Part II. Chapter 6 contains the analysis of the women's cases; Chapter 7 the reported decisions and Chapter 8 the press reports. Chapter 9 offers a summary of academic discourse and the abuse of women as well as a concluding discussion on some possibilities for the empowerment of women in law.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of death and injury for women in the United States. Although African American women are one of the groups most likely to be killed by an intimate partner, there has been little research to identify factors associated with risk among this group. To address this gap in the literature, the current study investigated ecological risk factors associated with physical and psychological IPV. Next, Africultural coping was explored as a moderator hypothesized to decrease the association between childhood maltreatment (CM) one of the strongest predictors of IPV, and IPV outcomes. It was hypothesized that Africultural coping would moderate the association between the level of retrospectively reported CM and recent reports of psychological IPV victimization, such that there would be a weaker relationship between CM and IPV for women who reported higher levels of Africultural coping. Results of multiple linear regressions indicated that higher levels of CM predicted both psychological and physical IPV, while controlling for the participants’ age. Hypothesized moderators were limited in their association with IPV. Implications for research, policy, practice, and wellness promotion for African American women are discussed.