Seeking Help From Police for Intimate Partner Violence: Applying a Relationship Phase Framework to the Exploration of Victims' Evolving Needs

Intimate partner violence complaints during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: a cross-sectional and a case-control study

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 lockdown, a large proportion of the women exposed to intimate partner violence had to live with their abusers full-time. This study analyzes the new official complaints that were filed during the lockdown in Spain.

METHODS

Data from the Comprehensive Monitoring System for Cases of Gender Violence from the Ministry of the Interior, Spain. Using logistic regression models, the complaints registered during the lockdown were compared to those registered in the previous year. Subsequently, we analysed association between the seriousness of the incident reported and the period in which the complaint was filed.

RESULTS

Official complaints decreased by 19% during the lockdown. The probability of complaints during lockdown mainly increased when victims had a relationship with the abusers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.33] and when they lacked social support (OR = 1.22). The probability that the complaints were associated with previous jealousy (OR = 0.87), previous harassment behaviours (OR = 0.88) or the victim's fear for minors' safety (OR = 0.87) decreased. In addition, during lockdown increased the probability that the complaints filed were due to incidents of severe physical violence (OR = 1.17); severe psychological violence against women with minors in their charge (OR = 1.22); and severe violence due to threats (OR = 1.53) when the woman had previously suffered harassment.

CONCLUSIONS

The decrease in new complaints during the studied period and the increase in their severity evidence difficulties in seeking help due to the lockdown. In situations of confinement, it is necessary to design measures that protect women with a lack of social support, and at those who live with the aggressor.

Psychosocial Separation and Women's Disengagement From Prosecutions Against Abusive Intimate Partners in Spain

In order to end and "liberate" themselves from an abusive relationship, female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) usually face a complex process. Although women may decide to seek help through the criminal justice system, some refuse to participate in legal proceedings against their abusers. While many studies have focused on exploring variables explaining disengagement from legal proceedings, the aim of this article is to study the impact of the process of liberation from an abusive relationship on the likelihood of disengagement (LoD) from legal proceedings. Liberation was measured through the psychosocial separation overall score and the LoD was predicted by a logistic regression model developed in a previous study in Spain. A sample of 80 women involved in legal proceedings for IPV against their ex-partners in Andalusia (Spain) participated in this study. Exploratory analyses were conducted using ANOVA and Chi-square; multiple linear regression analyses were used to study the relationship between psychosocial separation and LoD. Results showed that victims who had higher psychosocial separation from their abusers were less likely to disengage from legal proceedings against the abuser. We discuss the results in terms of practical implications like detection of women's need for specific psychological support to ease a comprehensive recovery. Training programs for legal professionals and judges in the judicial arena should use the results of this study to increase professionals' understanding of IPV and survivors' decision-making processes. This would lead to a decrease in survivors' secondary victimization, as well as decrease the frustration of legal professionals when victims disengage from legal proceedings.

Police interventions in victims’ encounters of intimate partner violence in a rural setting

One of the most frequently experienced types of violent crime in South African rural communities is interpersonal violence, which includes intimate partner violence. Rural policing is among the vital forms of intervention required to manage such incidents. This article employs a qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, to describe and interpret police members’ experiences of policing victims’ encounters of intimate partner violence in the rural Vhembe district in Limpopo. Fifteen police members, from the two South African Police Service’s subprogrammes: Visible Policing and Detective Service were sampled through purposive sampling. Unstructured open-ended interviews, field notes, diaries, and follow-up telephone interviews were used as data-collection methods. Data were analysed in accordance with the interpretative phenomenological analysis guidelines. The findings show that intimate partner violence in matrimonial and intimate relationships is common in this district; that it manifests as physical, emotional, sexual violence, and controlling behaviour and affects women, men, children, and the victims’ next-of-kin, with men mostly being the perpetrators. Paradoxes on the home front and cultural customs shape how the incidents are handled in the district communities and also determine the implementation of policing of the incidents leading to incident-focussed and evasive intervention strategies. The findings have implications for police training, further research, collaborative community stakeholder workshops, and setting up intimate partner violence community capacity-building centres.