Women’s lived experiences of abuse and depression are examined within the context of gendered and racialized pathways to incarceration among 403 women randomly selected from a diagnostic unit in a state prison. This study utilizes feminist action research and community psychological methods to understand what factors predict incarcerated women’s placement on the mental health caseload and provides quantitative support for the pathways theoretical framework. Findings indicate that, among the sample, the prevalence of abuse experiences prior to incarceration exceeded 90%, prevalence of mental health problems exceeded 70%, and less than 35% were receiving mental health care. Being Caucasian, experiencing depression and suicidal ideation, and serving time for certain types of (non-violent, non-property, and non-drug related) crime (e.g., cruelty to children, prostitution, public order, “technicals,” and others) predicted the placement of women on the mental health caseload. Implications for trauma-informed, anti-racist, gender-responsive policies and interventions are discussed.

English abstract Domestic violence in society This thesis is divided into two parts to reflect the definition of domestic violence as a very broad social (gender) and legal term. The opening chapter provides an introduction to the theory of domestic violence along with en explanation of its elementary features and concepts. The chapter describes domestic violence as a societal problem which - in the light of statistically proven (and surprisingly frequent) occurrence and presumptive high latency - cannot be put aside as a marginal pathological phenomenon. Such (erroneous) conclusion, however, is tempting since there are many myths around intimate violence, as is a general misapprehension that both victims of domestic violence as well as persons abusing their close relatives can be unmistakably identified. The author of this work aspires to refute such conclusions by pointing to criminological as well as victimological specifics of a person that is the victim or perpetrator of domestic violence. The second chapter explores the factors of feminization of domestic violence, including the aspects of gender, gender socialization and its dynamics, discrimination and violence against women. Worldwide, domestic violence is still considered a subcategory of violence against women, despite the facts that anyone can...

The theme of my work is domestic violence against seniors. This phenomenon represents a serious social problem that deserves our attention. The theoretical part deals the types and specifics of violence. I describe the dynamics of violence, which occurs in such a damaged relationship. I try to describe possible solutions of this problem. In my work is also a list of organizations which can seniors contact. The practical part includes research on public awareness at the age 50+ of elder abuse. Here we can find the myths that appear in society and also hinder victims begin to solve their situation. Each of us may encounter violence. We should be able to identify the problem and knowing where to go for help. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Law, 2014 / This study is interested in questions of law and social change, with a particular focus on how litigation can be used strategically to change the law to benefit women. Given law’s patriarchal nature, feminist litigators have often asked questions about whether, and how the law can be used to reflect women’s experience and to improve women’s lives. In this sense, the feminist project in law considers how feminist theory and methodology can be used in constructing legal arguments that seek the improvement of women’s rights and gender equality. The focal point of this study is amicus curiae participation and how this participation is employed by means of feminist litigation strategy so that it enhances rights-claiming and advances gender equality for women within the court system. I examine the way in which amicus curiae participation promotes litigation from a feminist and gendered viewpoint and validates the employment of feminist method to create effective arguments. The main body of the dissertation is dedicated to a case analysis of the Constitutional Court’s core gender jurisprudence and the amici curiae that have participated in these matters. The case discussions are divided into three categories: violence against women, women as part of cultural communities, and specific areas of vulnerability including prostitution and domestic partnerships (between heterosexual couples). The purpose of this analysis is to establish whether the amici curiae that have participated in these matters were able to influence judicial decisions, and how the amici used litigation to communicate a feminist and gendered viewpoint. The study concludes that, whether the relevant amici curiae participation had a direct or indirect impact on judicial decisions or not, its importance lies in engaging the law from a feminist and gendered viewpoint to create awareness of gender inequality, how this inequality is entrenched in the legal system and how it might be remedied.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology In the faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg July 2017 / This research project is a part of a larger umbrella study that aims to explore the perceived psychological effects of Silent Protest day at the University of Witwatersrand. The research participants were students that participated in the event, whether or not they have been victims of sexual violence, or participated to show support for those who have. The intention of this research project was to identify factors that influence the disclosure of sexual violence on the Silent Protest day but also in general, and to explore the process of, and reasons for keeping silent about or disclosing the experience of sexual violence (whether to one person or to many). Sexual violence is a considerably big problem in South Africa, and unfortunately the majority of sexual offences go unreported. It has been shown that survivors of sexual violence often display signs of psychological distress and might develop a psychological disorder. The silence and stigma around sexual violence can prevent victim-survivors from reporting incidents and most importantly from seeking help. Research has shown that emotional inhibition about and/or nondisclosure of traumatic events is significantly associated with psychological problems such as dissociation, anxiety, depression, PTSD and mood disorders. The aims of this research project were therefore to get a better understanding of the nuances surrounding the actual process of disclosure on Silent protest day and in victim-survivors lives, to explore why individuals decide to, or not to, disclose sexual violence, and the emotional and psychological aspects and effects that are elicited and experienced within that process. Five participants that had participated in the 2015 Silent Protest were interviewed. The themes that emerged from the research were: factors that may prevent disclosure; factors that may facilitate disclosure; factors that appear to have a mixed effect on disclosure; and the researcher’s reflections on participants’ disclosure to her. Underlying these themes were various sub-themes such as feelings of shame, not knowing how to disclose, fear, having the opportunity to disclose; the nature of the relationship to the perpetrator; anticipated reaction from others; the survivor’s general feelings on disclosure, and their views of other survivors’ experiences of disclosure. The findings imply that the ability to tease out and understand the survivors’ internal processes from the external factors is key in aiding the actual process of disclosure in a supportive manner. / XL2018

A dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Masters of Arts Degree in the Political studies Department, Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, March 2017 / The emergence of xenophobic violence is linked directly to the dissemination and development of certain ideas and perceptions. This paper will examine perceptions of xenophobic violence held by university students looking particularly at the University of the Witwatersrand. The research attempts to understand the perceptions and understandings of the university students, and how they conceptualize their individual perceptions in the context of university unrest and university transformation. These perceptions will be discussed and analysed through individual interviews in conjunction with questioners. Questions of perceived identity and the evolution of identity will be tackled in an aim to fully understand these perceptions. This focus on the tertiary institution serves to increase the analysis of xenophobic violence through the analysis of perception and debates. The dominant discourse around xenophobia is often focused on how the xenophobic attacks occurred and what drove the xenophobic attacks. However, there is limited focus on what drives xenophobia and the discourse that emerges in the xenophobic attacks. This paper will provide an analysis of this discourse to develop an understanding of the origins of xenophobic mentalities and the differing perceptions of foreign nationals held by university students. / XL2018

A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, August 2017 / This study forms part of the broader project by Dr Yael Kadish, aimed at exploring participants’ experiences of the annual Wits Silent Protest against sexual violence march. This particular study aimed to explore how male supporter participants in the Silent Protest made meaning of their participation in the protest, how they experienced participation in the protest as men, and to explore the views of the male supporter participants on how the protest can improve the experiences of male supporter participants in order to improve male participation. This study is an exploratory study that made use of a qualitative research design. Six males who participated in the Silent Protest at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015 were interviewed. Participants were recruited on the day of the protest and data was collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Reflexivity throughout the research process included considerations of being a woman interviewing men on a relatively sensitive issue, as well as touching on the overlap of advocacy and researcher roles. Five major themes were derived from the interviews: Personal Reasons for Participating in the Protest; Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of the Purpose of the Protest; Sexual Violence Happens only to Women; Negotiating one’s Sense of Masculinity in the Silent Protest; and More Male Faces Needed in the Protest. These themes illuminated three major findings in this study: The first of these is that the issue of sexual violence was thought by interviewees to be a women’s issue. The second is that they often feel that they are unfairly painted as potential perpetrators of sexual assault. Lastly, the third is that participation in the protest appears to be in direct contravention of the ideals of hegemonic masculinity. Finally, it is suggested that in order to lower societal desensitization and the level of tolerance for sexual violence and to effect real social change, it is important to include all members of society - individuals from all social and gender groups and categories, not just women. / XL2018

This sociological thesis has focus om men´s violence against women, both general and domestic. My aim is to examine how the Swedish court system portrays women as victims and men as offenders in cases with men´s violence against women. I also have a special focus on the perspective of the construction of gender. I executed the thesis by using two qualitive methods; thematic content analysis and observations. The empirical material consisted mainly of court case documents but also of the field notes I took during the observations of two court hearings. My theoretical framework consists of the gender system by Yvonne Hirdman (2003) which mainly describes the different societal positions of power men and women possess and what consequences it has. I’ve also used a victim discourse which examines how victims are expected to act, and react, in connection to be a victim of crime. The thesis showed that the court system in my material maintains stereotypical gender norms regarding the theory of the gender system. It showed considerations based on men´s superior positions and women´s subordinate positions according to the same system. It also showed that the female victims are expected to react according to what the court system see suitable; which in my analyzed cases meant a display of the correct feelings. If the correct feelings were not present, it could affect the outcome of the trial.

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido como subprojeto integrante da pesquisa A Interface Entre a Ocorrência e o Atendimento de Violência de Gênero Entre Mulheres Usuárias dos Serviços de Saúde da Rede Pública de Ribeirão Preto. A violência contra a mulher é uma das expressões mais perversas da subordinação feminina e gera graves conseqüências para as pessoas que vivenciam o seu ciclo. Mulheres nessa situação buscam frequentemente os serviços de saúde, que possuem um alto poder de detecção da violência. Porém, há uma série de dificuldades por parte dos profissionais, médicos e enfermeiros, em identificar e prestar assistência adequada a essas mulheres. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar comparativamente as percepções de médicos e enfermeiros que atuam na rede de saúde de Ribeirão Preto acerca da violência contra a mulher buscando formas de aprimorar a assistência prestada. Para isso, realizamos uma pesquisa qualitativa, utilizando um banco de dados de 14 entrevistas com médicos e 10 com enfermeiros, realizadas por meio de um roteiro semi-estruturado. Por meio de análise de conteúdo temático foram identificadas as seguintes categorias: 1) Percepções sobre gênero; 2) Percepções sobre a violência contra a mulher; 3) Sobre atuação profissional; e 4) Sobre a rede de proteção. Tais categorias foram divididas em diversas subcategorias que foram analisadas a partir do referencial de gênero. Os resultados mostraram que há muitas semelhanças nas percepções relativas às questões de gênero, que são ainda bastante tradicionais. Os profissionais entendem que a violência contra a mulher ocorre devido às desigualdades perpetuadas pelo sistema social e que acabam por justificar a violência. Eles reconhecem os tipos de violência existentes e estão aptos a identificar e acolher as mulheres nos serviços de saúde, reconhecendo tais ações como suas responsabilidades. Porém, muitas vezes não o fazem por barreiras como a própria estrutura dos serviços, a falta de capacitação e aspectos emocionais, que dificultam o acolhimento e a orientação adequados. Também identificamos que a rede de apoio existente ainda é desconhecida por muitos dos profissionais e, diversas vezes, está estruturada de forma inadequada para atender às demandas existentes. Assim, é fundamental o desenvolvimento de capacitações para os profissionais da área de saúde com o objetivo de prepara-los para uma melhor assistência às mulheres em situação de violência e para o conhecimento da rede de proteção existente. Além disso, é urgente que a estrutura dos serviços seja repensada em diversos aspectos para que os princípios do SUS e as ações de humanização possam, de fato, ser colocadas em prática. / This study was conducted as part of the larger research project \"The interface between the occurrence and treatment of gender violence among women who are users of public health care in Ribeirão Preto. Violence against women is one of the most perverse forms of female subordination and leads to serious consequences to those affected by it. Women in such conditions frequently seek health care services, which are highly capable of detecting violence. However, there are a number of obstacles faced by professionals, doctors and nurses, in order to identify and provide proper assistance to these women. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze how doctors and nurses who work in the public health care system in Ribeirão Preto perceive violence against women with a view to improving the quality of services. To attain this goal, this qualitative study made use of a database of 14 interviews with doctors and 10 with nurses following a semistructured script. Following thematic content analysis, the following categories have been established: 1) Perceptions about gender; 2) Perceptions about violence against women; 3) About the jobs; and 4) About the protection network. These categories were further divided into subcategories that were analyzed by taking gender as a reference. The findings show that there are many similarities across perceptions concerning gender issues, which are still quite traditional. Professionals believe that violence against women occurs as a result of inequalities that have been perpetuated by the social system and that ultimately justify such violence. They recognize the existing types of violence and are ready and able to identify women and offer them assistance within the health care system, which they regard to be part of their responsibilities. However, they frequently cannot do that due to barriers such as how the services are structured, lack of training, and emotional aspects, which make both reception and counseling difficult. It has also been found that the existing support network is still unknown to many professionals and, very often, that it is inadequately organized to meet current demands. Thus, it is essential to develop the skills of health care professionals in order to prepare them both to provide better assistance to women who have been affected violence and to know about the existing protection network. In addition, there is the urgent need to rethink the organization of services at various levels so that the principles of SUS - the universal health care system - and humanization actions can actually be put into practice.

A violência institucional em maternidades é tema de estudo em diversos países. Pesquisas demonstram que além das dificuldades econômicas e estruturais, freqüentes nos serviços públicos, encontram-se, subjacentes aos maus tratos vividos pelas pacientes, aspectos sócio-culturais relacionados a uma prática discriminatória quanto a gênero, classe social e etnia. A hipótese deste trabalho é a de que a violência institucional em maternidades é, fundamentalmente, uma violência de gênero que, pautada por significados culturais estereotipados de desvalorização e submissão da mulher, a discrimina por sua condição de gênero e a toma como objeto das ações de outrem. Essa violência se expressa, de forma particular, no contexto da crise de confiança que a medicina tecnológica contemporânea engendra, com a fragilização dos vínculos e interações entre profissionais e paciente. O objetivo do estudo foi investigar como e porque a violência institucional acontece nas maternidades públicas no contexto brasileiro. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de corte qualitativo com 21 entrevistas semi-estruturadas com puérperas atendidas em maternidades públicas do município de São Paulo e 18 entrevistas com profissionais de saúde que atuam em diferentes maternidades, do mesmo município e adjacentes. A análise do material buscou relatos de violência institucional nos depoimentos e os valores e opiniões associados. Os dados revelaram que tanto as puérperas quanto os profissionais entrevistados reconhecem práticas discriminatórias e tratamento grosseiro no âmbito da assistência em maternidades públicas com tal frequência que se torna muitas vezes esperado pelas pacientes que sofram algum tipo de maltrato. Dificuldades estruturais, a formação pessoal e profissional, e a própria impunidade desses atos foram apontados como causas para a violência institucional. Os relatos também demonstraram uma banalização da violência institucional através de jargões de cunho moralista e discriminatório, usados como brincadeiras pelos profissionais; no uso de ameaças como forma de persuadir a paciente e na naturalização da dor do parto como preço a ser pago para se tornar mãe. Consideramos que a banalização da violência aponta para a banalização da injustiça e do sofrimento alheio como um fenômeno social que atinge a toda sociedade; para a fragilização dos vínculos de interação pessoal entre profissionais e pacientes e para a cristalização de estereótipos de classe e gênero que se refletem na assistência a essas pacientes, além de contribuir para a invisibilidade da violência como tema de reflexão e controle institucional / Institutional violence in maternity facilities is the subject of study in several countries. Researches show that besides economic and structural difficulties, which are frequent in state-run facilities, there are, underlying the abuse experienced by patients, socio-cultural aspects related to a discriminatory practice towards gender, social class and ethnicity. The hypothesis of this work is that institutional violence in maternity facilities is essentially a gender-based violence which, guided by stereotypical cultural meanings of devaluation and subjugation of woman, discriminates her by her gender condition and takes her as object of others actions. This violence is expressed particularly in the context of the confidence crisis that contemporaneous medical technology engenders, with the weakening of bonds and interactions between professionals and patient. The objective of this study was to investigate how and why the institutional violence occurs in state-run maternity facilities in the Brazilian context. The work was carried out through qualitative research with 21 semi-structured interviews with birthing women treated at state-run maternity facilities in city of São Paulo and 18 interviews with health professionals working in different facilities in São Paulo and adjacent cities. The analysis of the material sought reports of institutional violence in the statements of the people interviewed and the values and opinions associated to them. The data showed that both birthing women and professionals interviewed acknowledge discriminatory practices and rude treatment in the state-run maternity facilities to such a degree that it is often expected by patients to suffer some kind of mistreatment. Structural difficulties, personal and professional education, and even the impunity of such acts were identified as causes of institutional violence. The reports also showed a trivialization of institutional violence through the use of moralistic and discriminatory jargon, used in jokes by professionals; through the use of threats as a way to persuade the patient and through the idea of naturalization of labor pain as the price to be paid to become a mother. We believe that the trivialization of violence points to the trivialization of injustice and suffering of others as a social phenomenon that affects the whole society, to the weakening of the ties of personal interaction between professionals and patients and for the crystallization of stereotypes of class and gender that reflect in the care for these patients, besides contributing to the invisibility of violence as a theme for reflection and institutional control