Innovative Programs to Economically Empower Women and Prevent Intimate Partner Violence Revictimization

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire M. Renzetti ◽  
Diane R. Follingstad ◽  
Diane Fleet
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Women's Shelter ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
Battered Women's Shelter ◽  
Therapeutic Horticulture

This chapter discusses several economic empowerment programs that were specifically designed for women who have experienced various forms of trauma and abuse, or that have been adapted for use with this population. The chapter offers examples of especially innovative program and highlights a therapeutic horticulture program located at a battered women’s shelter. The chapter also reviews the available empirical evidence regarding the outcomes of these programs and implications for prevention of revictimization.

scholarly journals The impact of interventions to reduce risk and incidence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict states and other humanitarian crises in low and middle income countries: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Spangaro ◽  
Chye Toole-Anstey ◽  
Catherine L. MacPhail ◽  
Delia C. Rambaldini-Gooding ◽  
Lynne Keevers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Sexual Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSexual violence and intimate partner violence are exacerbated by armed conflict and other humanitarian crises. This narrative systematic review of evidence for interventions to reduce risk and incidence of sexual and intimate partner violence in conflict, post-conflict and other humanitarian crises, updates and expands our review published in 2013. A search of ten bibliographic databases for publications from January 2011 to May 2020 used database specific key words for sexual/intimate partner violence and conflict/humanitarian crisis. The 18 papers, describing 16 studies were undertaken in conflict/post-conflict settings in 12 countries. Six intervention types were reported: i) personnel; ii) community mobilisation; iii) social norms; iv) economic empowerment; v) empowerment; and vi) survivor responses, with the most common being economic empowerment (n = 7) and gendered social norms interventions (n = 6). Combined interventions were reported in nine papers. Four studies identified non-significant reductions in incidence of sexual/ intimate partner violence, showing an evident positive trend; all four evaluated gendered social norms or economic empowerment singly or in combination. Evidence for improved mental health outcomes was found for some economic empowerment, social norms and survivor interventions. Some evidence of reduced risk of sexual violence and intimate partner violence was identified for all intervention types. Qualitative studies suggest that experiences of social connection are important for women who participate in programming to address sexual and intimate partner violence. Interventions with multiple strategies appear to hold merit. Achieving and demonstrating reduced sexual and intimate partner violence remains challenging in this context. Future research should continue to explore how social norms interventions can be most effectively delivered, including the impact of including mixed and same sex groups. Work is needed with local partners to ensure programs are contextually adapted.

The Effect of Female Economic Empowerment Interventions on the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483802097608
Author(s):  
Isabel Eggers del Campo ◽  
Janina Isabel Steinert
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Variance Estimation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Impact

Women’s economic empowerment is an essential component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Not only is it an end in itself but it has further been promoted for its potential to create positive externalities, including the reduction of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the link between economic empowerment and the risk of IPV remains theoretically ambiguous. Marital dependency theory predicts that women with more financial resources hold higher bargaining power and are in a better position to leave potentially abusive relationships. Conversely, Resource theory posits that an increase in women’s financial resources may clash with traditional gender roles, which may prompt their partner to reassert their status through violent means. In light of this debate, we conducted a meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of economic empowerment interventions on IPV. Based on a total sample size of 44,772 participants and robust variance estimation, our meta-analysis shows that women’s economic empowerment was associated with a significant reduction in the pooled measure of emotional, sexual, and physical IPV. We further documented tentative evidence suggesting that these effects may be amplified when additional gender sensitization training is included in such programs. Despite the overall positive effects, some included studies reported increases in IPV, primarily in the form of partners exerting controlling behavior and dominance over financial resources. Our results therefore emphasize a need to prioritize women’s safety in the process of designing economic empowerment programs and to closely monitor the potential risk of conflict and violence within beneficiaries’ households.

Acceptability of Partner Violence in 51 Societies

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Herrero ◽  
Francisco J. Rodríguez ◽  
Andrea Torres
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Sexist Attitudes ◽  
The World

Sexist attitudes have been claimed to play an important role in acceptability of intimate partner violence (IPV). Empirical evidence suggests that sexist individuals are also more accepting of violence in social relationships than non-sexist individuals. Results from multilevel regression models of data from 72,730 respondents of 51 countries around the world showed that (a) both sexism and acceptability of general violence in social relationships were positively related to acceptability of IPV and (b) the highest levels of acceptability of IPV were found among those sexist individuals who also present positive attitudes toward the use of violence in social relationships.

Improving Quality of Life Among Latina Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Through Economic Empowerment

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110139
Author(s):  
Iris Cardenas ◽  
Laura Johnson ◽  
Judy L. Postmus
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Psychological Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Economic Empowerment

This study examined the relationship between (1) quality of life and forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) (i.e., psychological abuse, physical violence, sexual violence, and types of economic abuse), and (2) quality of life and economic empowerment among Latina IPV survivors. The authors used data from the Moving Ahead financial literacy program evaluation ( n = 200). Nested random-effects models were conducted. Findings indicated that psychological abuse and economic control were significantly and negatively associated with quality of life. Economic empowerment (i.e., financial knowledge, economic self-efficacy, and economic self-sufficiency) was significantly and positively related to Latinas’ quality of life. Financial strain was inversely associated with Latina’s quality of life. These findings highlight the importance of identifying strategies for increasing the overall well-being of Latina IPV survivors. Economic empowerment interventions can be an effective mechanism for improving their quality of life. As such, domestic violence organizations should include economic empowerment as part of the services offered to survivors.

Economic Policies and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention: Emerging Complexities in the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (21) ◽  
pp. 3367-3387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret E. Tankard ◽  
Radha Iyengar
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Design Assessment ◽  
As Stress

Although the question of whether economic policies serve to reduce rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) has long been raised, rigorous tests of this question have only begun to take place recently. Given the mixed evidence to date, much remains unknown about the circumstances in which a positive or negative relationship holds between changes in financial well-being and IPV. We describe an empirically based theoretical model that may link economic empowerment to IPV and that highlights research questions for further testing. This model reflects two theoretical pathways through which economic policies may reduce IPV: A program may activate social and psychological empowerment as protective factors and a program may deactivate cognitive and behavioral risk factors such as stress and substance abuse. We then consider the relevance of each of a range of economic policies and review existing experimental evidence regarding the effect of such programs on IPV. We discuss unconditional and conditional cash transfers, savings programs, microfinance and income generation programs, and economic programs combined with relationship-related training. Gaps in research on this topic and emerging complexities in the literature suggest the following three key areas that would benefit from greater research and evaluation: comparison across programs based on size and design, assessment of the returns to economic empowerment of young adults, and more evaluations in high-income countries.

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