Reproductive coercion as a form of family violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia

Intimate partner violence and time to making an abortion appointment in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Intimate partner violence (IPV), the experience of physical and sexual violence, stalking, and/or psychological aggression within an existing or prior intimate relationship, may influence reproductive autonomy and abortion access. This study examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and time to scheduling abortion services for pregnant people in the United States (U.S).

STUDY DESIGN

Data come from the Guttmacher Institute's Abortion Patient Survey (APS), a nationally representative non-hospital sample of U.S. women seeking abortions in 2014 (n = 7013). We estimated survey-weighted logistic regression to model the association between IPV victimization (physical and sexual) and two-week delays in abortion scheduling, controlling for a variety of sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS

The prevalence of any IPV was 5.02 %, and 17.30 % of participants had abortion scheduling delays of at least two weeks. In bivariate models, experiencing IPV was associated with 1.62 times the odds of abortion scheduling delays compared to those who were not experiencing IPV (95 % CI 1.26, 2.09). In multivariable models controlling for sociodemographic covariates victimization was associated with 1.41 times the odds of abortion scheduling delays compared to non-victimization (95 % CI 1.06, 1.86).

CONCLUSIONS

IPV was associated with a 2-week delay in scheduling an abortion procedure following making the decision to obtain an abortion. In the increasingly restrictive policy climate, IPV-related delays in scheduling services may make abortions functionally inaccessible. Universal IPV screening and education provisions in healthcare settings (including primary care, gynecology and obstetrics) and community-based settings and for individuals seeking abortions are necessary to ensure timely access to safe and legal abortions.

Reproductive Coercion and Abuse Among Forcibly Displaced Populations Worldwide: Evidence from a Systematic Review

Reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA) is a significant public health issue, with high prevalence expected in forcibly displaced populations. Despite its severe health impacts, studies on the extent, determinants, and impacts of RCA in forcibly displaced populations are notably lacking. This systematic review examines forcibly displaced women's experiences of RCA, its perpetrators, associated factors, and health consequences. We conducted a systematic search across nine databases-Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, Emcare, and SocIndex-on July 30, 2024, using targeted search terms related to RCA and forcibly displaced populations. We included studies of any design (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) published at any time and in English, regardless of study settings. We used a socio-ecological framework to guide our narrative analysis of the findings. A total of 15 studies were included in the review, demonstrating various forms of RCA. These included coerced and unwanted sex, intentional contraception misuse, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, imposition of contraception without consent, control over reproductive decisions, forced marriage, and physical abuse for failing to give birth to male offspring. RCA was found to be supported and exacerbated by a range of challenges situated across multiple socio-ecological levels: individual (economic dependency, accommodation), relationship (partner), community (community members, religious and cultural norms), institutional (armed forces, international forced migration), and societal and global levels (country-level policies, state actors, international forced migration). The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address the underlying socio-economic, legal, and cultural factors contributing to RCA in these settings.

Women's experiences of gender-based violence supports through an intersectional lens: a global scoping review

ABSTRACT

Objective

To apply an intersectional lens to explore how the interconnected social identities of women across global settings impact access experiences for gender-based violence (GBV) supports.

Design

A scoping review.

Data sources

We systematically searched seven databases to identify studies published in English from the database inception to January 2023.

Inclusion criteria

We included peer-reviewed studies with a primary objective of examining the access experiences of populations who self-identify as women (aged 15 years or older) who have experienced GBV, have intersecting identities (ie, racialisation, poverty, etc) that can further contribute to marginalisation and utilised or sought support services.

Methods

Two reviewers independently completed title/abstract, full-text screening and data charting. Integrating intersectionality theory and the McIntyre access framework, we analysed support service access and utilisation across social identities, axes of marginalisation and geographic contexts.

Results

210 papers (195 distinct studies) met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (60%) were published since 2015 and used qualitative methods (63%). Findings reflected intersectional differences in women's experiences of accessing GBV services across contexts and lived experiences. Common findings indicate that seeking GBV support was motivated and enabled by informal supports and positive prior experiences in accessing services. However, findings highlight that structural and systemic constraints in existing support systems (in all study settings) impact access to necessary support services and their alignment with women's needs. Few studies examined health and non-health outcomes associated with unhindered access to care.

Conclusions

Women's experiences with GBV support systems in different geopolitical contexts highlight barriers across axes of racialisation, poverty, multidimensional violence and other systemic factors, which are often eclipsed in generic one-size-fits-all models of support. This research can inform transformational policy development and tailored interventions to improve outcomes for all women who experience GBV and thus advance gender equality and equity goals.

Reproductive coercion and abuse in intimate relationships: Women's perceptions of perpetrator motivations

Reproductive coercion and abuse is a hidden and poorly recognised form of violence against women. It refers broadly to behaviours that interfere with or undermine a person's reproductive autonomy, specifically to promote or prevent pregnancy. Reproductive coercion and abuse can involve physical, sexual, financial or psychological abuse in order to achieve these aims, and is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women. As an emerging field of scholarship, conceptual understanding of reproductive coercion and abuse is still in its infancy; however, it is often described as being linked to coercive control. In this article, we seek to highlight the complexity of this relationship through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 victim/survivors in Australia recruited from the community, focusing on their perceptions of the perpetrator's motivations. We developed four themes from our analysis: 1) His needs came first; 2) The illusion of a perfect father; 3) Creating a weapon of control; and 4) My body was his. Perceived perpetrator motivations ranged from entitlement and self-interest to a deep desire for domination and entrapment. Pregnancy preventing behaviour was more likely to be linked with entitlement and self-interest, whereas pregnancy promoting behaviour tended to be described by participants in relationships where there was a broader pattern of ongoing control and entrapment. Thus, we suggest that coercive control is a motivating factor for some, but not all men who perpetrate reproductive coercion and abuse. A greater understanding perpetrator motivations may be important for practitioners, particularly those working in sexual and reproductive health services, since it could be relevant to women's level of risk for coercive controlling behaviour or more extreme forms of physical or sexual violence.