Module details Name Affiliation

Subject Name Social Work -

Paper Name Gender and Social Work (11) -

Module Module No. 32 Domestic Violence -

Paper Coordinator Dr. Shewli Kumar and Dr. Swati Associate Professor,
Banerjee School of Social Work,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai

E-mail:
Shewli Kumar shewli4@tiss.edu

Swati Banerjee<
sbanerjee@tiss.edu>
<swatibtiss@gmail.com>
Module Writer Ms. Yashoda Pradhan and Dr Shewli Feminist Researcher,
Kumar Associate Professor
Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai
Contact: Dr Shewli Kumar +91
9833583540
Email: shewli4@tiss.edu
Keywords Domestic violence

Summary This module introduces the -

students to the basics of domestic
violence and issues for practice.

Content reviewer Prof Aruna Khasgiwala Retired Professor and Head, MSU,
Department of Social Work, Baroda

Language editor Ms Sudha Ganapathy Manager, Publications Unit, TISS

Introduction

Domestic violence (hereafter, DV) is one of the most prevalent forms of violence against
women and yet, is the most invisible and in most societies acceptable. DV was not recognised
as a form of violence within the legal system until recent ties and in some societies, certain
forms of violence within the household are still not recognised as a crime. One of the main
reasons for not recognising domestic violence as a crime is to keep intact the sanctity of
marriage and family. For instance, Russia has made a move towards decriminalising certain
acts of domestic violence by passing a bill knows as the “slapping law”. Supporters of the bill
state that the current laws to protect women from violence are anti-family. “The bill applies
to violent actions that cause injuries but don’t require hospital treatment or require sick leave
from work for the victim, according to one of its authors, the BBC reports 1.” Despite the
impact and effect of domestic violence on an individual and societal level, it is still contested.

The magnitude of family based violence/ domestic violence is difficult to measure as not all
incidences are reported and hence counted. The World Health Organization reports that the
proportion of women who had ever experienced physical or sexual violence or both by an
intimate partner ranged from 15% to 71%, with the majority between 29% and 62% 2.

The women’s movement has struggled to bring domestic violence and its effects to the
forefront. The popular slogan “personal is political” started during the second wave of
feminism to bring forth an important connection between one’s personal experience and
larger societal structures. It was during this time that the women’s movement focused on the
private, a space which does not have intervention from outside and to transform the meaning
by linking it to the political 3.

The gravity of the issue and the site of violence, family, makes it essential that survivors of
domestic violence receive sensitive response/ intervention. This chapter will assist in building
skills which are important while dealing with cases of domestic violence.

Learning outcomes:

1
Russia Moves to Decriminalize Several Cases Of Domestic Violence, Huffington Post, available at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/russia-moves-to-decriminalize-several-cases-of-domestic-
violence_us_5879a98ae4b09281d0eb2027, last seen on: 15.01.2017, last seen at: 11:00 PM
2
WHO. Multi country study on Women's health and domestic violence against women. Geneva: World Health
Organization; 2007
3
b.Hooks, 2015, Talking back: thinking feminist, thinking black, Routeldge
 • Build understanding on the issue of domestic violence

• Introduce to skills on working with survivors of violence

Topic 1:Family based violence

As seen in Module 32 violence against women is a result of a system of male privilege and
the resulting subordinaiton of women. Patriarchy as a system which keeps the gender
imbalance in check and perpetuates the same.

Family is the smallest and the most fundamental part of society. It is also where patriarchy is
learnt and perpetuated as it is in the family that individuals are first socialised into learning
and accepting heteronormative and gendered roles and behaviour. As discussed before,
patriarchy punishes those who deviate from its prescribed roles and behaviour and as family
is where individuals learn and enact these roles as well as attempt to step out of the gendered
roles, it is also often than not a site of violence.

Violence from family- natal and marital- is also common because of the notion of ‘honour’.
Especially in the Indian subcontinent, ‘honour’ has an important role to play in the
perpetuation of violence. Honour/ izzat lies with the females of the household, it is believed,
because of which any deviation from society’s prescribed roles on the part of women, leads to
violence. Examples of family based violence are:

• Domestic violence

• ‘Honour’ crimes & killings –community as natal family/acting in place of family as

moral police where ‘family’ fails

• Sexual harrassment at workplace & in public spaces –encouraged by families &

communities through silence

• Child labour and trafficking

• Desertion/destitution/abandonment –especially of elderly & physically ‘unfit’ men &

women who are unable to play designated ‘functional roles’

• Forced marriage (including child marriage)

• Dowry and bride-price, and harassment based on the same

 • Ostracisation of widows

• Child Sexual Abuse & Sexual abuse of incestual nature based on age-hierarchy

• Sex-selective abortion of female foetuses and son-preference

Topic 2: Power and control wheel

The wheel of power and control was developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Proejct,
Duluth and helps in understanding violence in intimate relationships.

At the hub of the wheel is, power and control as they are at the centre of any abusive
relationship. It is important to understand that abuse does not take place because the abuser is
under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Abuse is a deliberate behaviour to control and
exercise control over those who are less powrful or considered weaker than the abuser.
Hence, at the centre of any abuse is power and control.

At the periphery of the wheel is physical and sexual violence as the threats of these acts is
what holds the abusive relationship in place. The fear which is an outcome of the threat
controls the survivors’ decisions.

The methods of using power and control are listed in the wheel. Using coercion and threats,
intimidation, children, emotoinal abuse, isolation, economic abuse, male privelege and
minimizing denying and blaming are ways in which the abuse uses his power and control.
Topic 3: Cycle of violence

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence does not take place continuously, but occurs
in stages. The wheel depicts the pattern of abuse and the three phases in which this takes
place.

The three stages of the cycle of violence are;

Stage 1:in the tension building stage, the abuser often starts to find fault in trivial things, may
start to take alcoho/ drugs and becomes moody. The abuser might also restrict the survivors’
movement. During such times, the survivor may agree to whatever the abuser says, may try to
please him in any way possible and will be careful with her words and actions in order to
trigger violence.
Stage 2: Despite of the survivors’ efforts, the next stage of acute explosion is inevitable.
During this time, the abuser perpetuates physical, sexual violence and the survivor enters
suvival mode and tries to keep herself and her children safe.

Stage 3:The honeymoon phase which is followed soon after the episode of violence. During
this phase, the abuser shows a lot of love and is apologetic for his actions. He even promises
to change and seek help. The survivor during this time trusts that the abuser will change and
feels hopeful.

Topic 4: Impact of domestic violence

A. Individual level

The effects of domestic violence on the survivor of violence is unarguable. DV has an impact
on a woman’s physical health (headaches, injuries, loss of sight/ hearing, reproductive health
issues), mental health (lack of sleep, loss of apetite, disinterest in work and socialising),
financies (depeleating savings because of demand for dowry or paying towards household
expenses). Several impacts of violence are often long term and invisible. For instance,
repeated forced abortions may lead to reproductive health issues.

B. Family level

The impact of domestic violence on the family has been well established. One of the main
deep impacts of domestic violence is that on children. Research shows that children who have
witnessed domestic violence are prone to behavioural problems. They are also at a higher risk
of emotional difficulties such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorder in
their adulthood.

Occurance of inter-generational violence is also higher when children witness domestic

violence. Young girls who witness domestic violence may internalise it and feel that they also
have to face violence from their hubsnads when they get married whereas young boys may
think that their roles as husbands include abusing their wives. This learnt behaviour aids in
perpetuating violence.

C. Soceital level

Apart from the effects of domestic violence on a family level, it also affects the develeopment
of a nation. “Batterers cost nations fortunes in terms of law enforcement, health care, lost
labor and general progress in development. These costs do not only affect the present
generation; what begins as an assault by one person on another, reverberates through the
family and the community into the future 4”. Thus, domestic violence does not only

Topic 5: Social Ecological model- Prevention of domestic violence

One of the widely used models for prevention of domestic violence is the social-ecological
model. The model takes into consideration the influences of domestic violence and helps in
developing strategies to prevent domestic violence.

Societal

Community

Relationship

Individual

The four levels of domestic violence prevention as shown in the figure below are 5:

1. At the individual level, personal history and biological factors influence how
individuals behave and increase their likelihood of becoming a victim or a perpetrator
of violence. Among these factors are being a victim of child maltreatment,
psychological or personality disorders, alcohol and/or substance abuse and a history
of behaving aggressively or having experienced abuse.

4
R. Kaur and S.Garg, Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women: An Unfinished Agenda, Indian J
Community Med. 2008 Apr; 33(2): 73–76.

5
http://www.who.int/violenceprevention/approach/ecology/en/ seen on 1st February, 2017, seen at: 1:00 AM
 2. Personal relationships such as family, friends, intimate partners and peers may
influence the risks of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence. For example,
having violent friends may influence whether a young person engages in or becomes a
victim of violence.

3. Community contexts in which social relationships occur, such as schools,

neighbourhoods and workplaces, also influence violence. Risk factors here may
include the level of unemployment, population density, mobility and the existence of
a local drug or gun trade.

4. Societal factors influence whether violence is encouraged or inhibited. These include

economic and social policies that maintain socioeconomic inequalities between
people, the availability of weapons, and social and cultural norms such as those
around male dominance over women, parental dominance over children and cultural
norms that endorse violence as an acceptable method to resolve conflicts.

Topic 6: Basic principles of feminist social casework

• The violated woman should be recognised first as an individual, a human being with
rights and opinions, and not only in terms of the social roles she plays and
theexpectations imposed on her, as discussed previously. Thus process is identified
asindividualisation.

• It is vital that in whatever state or form the individual comes to us, we must accepther
entirely. We should not impose out own prejudices and expectations on her,
butremember that acceptance is foundational to casework practice.

• The case/ social worker also must ensure that even though there will be emotional
involvement, this involvement must be controlled, and that the social worker
isinvolved enough to empathise with the client, but does not let emotional
attachmentcloud her judgement.

• Non-judgment is central, in that we cannot look at the client through the perspectiveof
our own biases and prejudices. We must respect the client and her own reading ofher
situation, without imposing our own.
 • Respecting the woman’s right self-determination is vital to feminist social
casework.Our job is not to make decisions for women, but to present her with the
options shehas, and support the decision she makes without imposing our own
decision on it.

• Thus, client participation is vital, in that the client must herself take action and pursue
goals, which the social worker helps her to identify.

• Confidentiality is a crucial issue, in that the client-counsellor relationship is one that is

based first and foremost on trust, and the counselling space is one of the few spaces
where the woman is offered unconditional support and is allowed to speak her mind
fully. Thus it is vital to protect the confidentiality of the woman, in order to maintain
the counselling space as a safe space for the client

Topic 7: Summary

Domestic violence is a complex social issue especially because it is considered to be a private

matter. Power and control are at the centre of any abusive relationship. Using various
techniques to exercise this results into violence. While physical, mental, financial and sexual
abuses are the forms domestic violence the abuser uses techniques such as intimidation,
coercive control, and emotional abuse.

The cycle of violence is regularly observed in abusive relationship. The cycle, in most cases,
makes it very difficult to get out of the abusive relationship.

Domestic violence has far fetching impact. The difference of impact of domestic violence and
others forms of violence against women is that because of the consistent and continuous
nature of DV, the impact is several times irreversible. For instance, if a woman is going
through forced abortions, she is susceptible to reproductive health issues or it is seen in cases
of constant taunting, women often loose self-confidence and self-esteem. Apart from an
individual level, domestic violence also impacts the household and the society.

Several interventions have been developed to address this issue by State agencies as well as
non-governmental organisations. As the social fabric of each society is different, the
interventions have to cater to the social realities. With changing times, domestic violence is
also taking more nuanced forms. For instance, research shows that despite of an increasing
number of financial independence of women, financial violence is still increasing. Women do
not necessarily have access to their ATM cards or their bank accounts. In several cases,
women do not even have access to the jewellery that they have received at their wedding.

Despite of laws protecting women from domestic violence and changes in social interactions
between men and women, the issue still exists. The deeply entrenched patriarchy in
relationships and societal structures continues to perpetuate domestic violence.

As interventionists working with survivors of domestic violence, it is important to remember

that the experience of each survivor is unique and that each survivor has to be empowered to
make her own decisions. As products of patriarchy, interventionists also tend to be
judgemental which should be avoided.