scholarly journals Frontline Response to High Impact Domestic Violence in Finland

2021 ◽  
pp. 143-160
Author(s):  
Martta October ◽  
Marianne Mela ◽  
Suvi Nipuli ◽  
Jarmo Houtsonen

Finland is committed to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). The Convention entered into force in Finland on August 1st 2015. The Current Government Programme of the Prime Minister also includes several initiatives to better combat domestic violence. In 2020, 10,800 incidents of domestic violence and intimate partner violence offences were reported to the authorities. The number of reported offences decreased by 1,2 per cent from 2019. Among all the adult victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, 75.2 per cent were women, whereas 78.1 per cent of suspects were men. In 2020, there were in total 29 shelters for victims of domestic violence in Finland. There are several NGOs supporting victims of domestic violence and providing perpetrator programmes in Finland. When discussing the good practices of cooperation, ‘Anchor’ ('Ankkuri') teams shall be mentioned. 'Anchor' teams are multi-agency teams working in several police departments in Finland. These teams often consist of police officers, social workers, and psychiatric nurses. The Anchor model supports the well-being of children and adolescents and prevents juvenile crime and violent radicalisation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-133
Author(s):  
Jelle J. Sijtsema ◽  
Elena A. Stolz ◽  
Stefan Bogaerts

Abstract. Recent studies found that there is considerable overlap between perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM), suggesting that both types of domestic violence can co-occur. However, there is a lack of consistency about the prevalence of co-occurrence, what unique risk factors and outcomes of co-occurrence are, and whether co-occurrence differs between Europe and other world regions. The aim is thus to review existing evidence and provide a framework for the study of IPV and CM co-occurrence by identifying unique risk factors and outcomes. In total, 12 European studies were identified that examined risk factors of co-occurrence between IPV and CM. Risk factors were distinguished at the individual, dyadic, and broader contextual levels, and compared between Europe and other regions of the world. Despite significant variation between studies, several general patterns were discerned, both globally and region-specific. These insights were used to develop a framework for the explanation of IPV and CM co-occurrence, which has implications for prevention and treatment. Importantly, more awareness and early signaling of risk for co-occurrence may counteract the spill-over from one type of domestic violence into the other to the benefit of children’s safety and well-being.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122098114
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Wilson ◽  
Lisa A. Goodman

Half of today’s domestic violence (DV) advocates are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) or other forms of abuse. Yet, little is known about the experiences of those who are both survivors and advocates, especially regarding organizational relationships, policies, and culture, and how these factors shape well-being. This grounded theory study of 12 survivor-advocates identified three dimensions of organizational support that contribute survivor-advocates’ well-being: acknowledging their trauma-related needs, fostering belonging, and honoring strengths. In each case, these organizational factors contribute to well-being through the mechanism of validating their identities as survivors. Suggestions for organizations to better support survivor-advocates are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Caicedo Roa ◽  
L Gabrielle Dalaqua ◽  
P Filizola ◽  
R Cordeiro

Abstract Introduction Violence against women is a public health problem with severe consequences. Most women in situations of domestic violence are emotionally involved and/or economically dependent of their intimate partners contributing to the perpetuation and acceptance of violence. Objectives 1) To characterize the women who join the Reference and Support Center for Women (Ceamo) in Campinas, Southeast Brazil. 2) To measure the quality of life in women victims of intimate partner violence 3) To determine the risk of feminicide. Methods The Ceamo is a public specialized service from the mayor of Campinas, it provides psychological, social and legal guidance to women in situations of gender violence. Inclusion criteria: Women attending Ceamo services, speaking Portuguese, age ≥18 years old and having experienced intimate partner violence. Measure instruments: Danger assessment Scale and WHOQOL-BREF. Results During the 11 months of the study, 78 new users were recruited. Average age 38.3 years old, mostly married/stable union, most of them with children (88%). 64% of women do not work and 36% live with the abusive partner. Prevalent types of violence suffered during by the victims in the last year were psychological n = 76, physical n = 62, moral n = 54 and sexual n = 23. The domain most affected in the assessment of quality of life was the environment (average 42% /100%) and psychological domain (42%/100%). 49% of women were classified with increased risk, 22% with severe risk and 1% with extreme risk of femicide. The questions with the most positive answers were those related to believing that the partner can kill her (77%), jealous of the partner (76%) and controlling behavior (73%), being followed/spied by the partner (67%) and threat death (65%). Conclusions The service in general receive very vulnerable women with low perception of their own quality of life, precarious material conditions and high risk of femicide. Key messages The women in domestic violence situation attended by the Ceamo service are at high risk of femicide. Service users have very low perception of their quality of life and poor social conditions.


Author(s):  
Johanna Hietamäki ◽  
Marjukka Huttunen ◽  
Marita Husso

Background—Intimate partner violence (IPV) has both direct and longer-term effects on children’s well-being. Much of the research thus far has relied on caregiver reports of IPV and clinical samples of children. By contrast, minimal research has examined violence between parents from the perspective of children using nationwide samples. Objective—This study explored the frequency of IPV witnessed by children and gender variations regarding the victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. Methods—The data were derived from a sample of 11,364 children from the Finnish Child Victim Survey 2013. The children were between 11 and 17 years old and were enrolled in the Finnish school system. The main methods of analysis included crosstabulation and the chi-square test. Results—The results indicate that children witnessed more IPV against their mother (4.9%) than their father (3.5%). Girls reported having witnessed more violence against both their mother (7.0%) and father (5.1%) than boys did (mothers 2.7%, fathers 1.8%). Girls’ reports of IPV against both parents were twice or more than twice as common as boys’ reports. Conclusions—The above differences might result from gendered expectations and boys’ and girls’ different relationships to violence, as well as differences in the recognition and interpretation of violent incidents. Therefore, practitioners should adopt a gender-sensitive approach as a precondition and practice for working with children in social and health care.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15-16) ◽  
pp. 3054-3078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth W. Sauber ◽  
Karen M. O’Brien

This study advanced knowledge regarding the mechanisms through which intimate partner violence relates to psychological and financial distress with a sample of diverse low-income women. Data were collected from 147 female domestic violence survivors who were abused by a male partner within the past 6 months. Three hierarchical regression analyses revealed that psychological, physical, and economic abuse were predictive of posttraumatic stress, depression, and economic self-sufficiency among survivors. Guided by the Conservation of Resources Theory, the loss of financial, work, and interpersonal resources also predicted these three outcomes, above and beyond abuse experiences (i.e., economically controlling behaviors, economic sabotage, and interpersonal resource loss were unique predictors). In addition, bootstrap mediation analyses showed that interpersonal resource loss partially mediated the relationship between psychological abuse and mental health outcomes. Together, these findings can be used to inform future interventions to promote the financial and psychological well-being of survivors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (23-24) ◽  
pp. 5877-5888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cari Jo Clark ◽  
Lynette M. Renner ◽  
Mary E. Logeais

Health care providers who screen for intimate partner violence (IPV) and counsel patients can reduce victimization and positively impact women’s health and well-being; yet only 2% to 50% of medical professionals report routinely screening female patients. The purpose of this study was to identify current practices, policies, barriers, and opportunities for a coordinated and routinized response to IPV in an outpatient academic primary care clinic. Data were collected through interviews and the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence questionnaire. Data on IPV screening practices over a 5-month period were also available through the electronic health record. Study participants expressed that there was no uniform method of documenting screening results and great variability in the patient populations and circumstances that prompted screening. Over two thirds of the survey respondents reported either a lack of IPV protocol or a lack of knowledge about one if it existed. Providers and staff who participated believed it was within their scope of work to screen for IPV and recognized IPV as a serious health threat; however, they cited an absence of patient education resources, a lack of staff training and awareness, and no established IPV referral network as barriers to screening for IPV. The results of the pilot are in line with existing research highlighting a general lack of screening, variability in process, and the absence of systems-level policies and protocols and linkages to community resources. Pilot findings have been used to initiate a project which encompasses routinized screening, documentation, and care coordination between providers and community organizations to improve patient well-being.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Hardesty ◽  
Marcela Raffaelli ◽  
Lyndal Khaw ◽  
Elissa Thomann Mitchell ◽  
Megan L. Haselschwerdt ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document