Moving beyond Carceral Feminism

2020 ◽  
pp. 149-158
Author(s):  
Hannah E. Britton
Keyword(s):  
Social Transformation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Sentencing Guidelines ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Carceral Feminism ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Forms Of Violence

Recently in South Africa, social problems such as gender-based violence are interpreted primarily as legal issues that may be ameliorated by carceral solutions. These approaches are appealing because political leaders know how to set sentencing guidelines, monitor arrests, and track prosecutions. Yet what the postapartheid case underscores is that such reactive approaches are woefully inadequate to address the complexity of violence that individuals, families, and communities face. The service providers in this project argue that the prevention of gender-based violence starts with community-based approaches. When communities are strengthened, leaders are better able to foster social transformation. Service providers are calling for a broader understanding of the upstream solutions to address all forms of violence and to uproot the legacies of violence and oppression.

Rhetorical and Organizational Typification of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking as Discrete Forms of Violence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Rhetorical Strategies ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Interactional Processes ◽  
Organizational Features ◽  
Forms Of Violence

Abstract Despite constructions of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking as discrete forms of violence, research shows that violence often co-occurs. Victims experiencing multiple forms of violence require different interventions from victims experiencing only one. Service providers’ understandings of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking as discrete, then, potentially undermine their goal of effective intervention. Drawing on 26 months of participant observation in an anti-gender-based violence nonprofit organization, I explore how advocates construct each form of violence as independent from the others. Results show that both organizational features, such as training curricula and organizational jurisdictions, and rhetorical strategies, such as an under-emphasis on co-occurring violence, contribute to the construction of each type of violence as discrete. This paper is of interest to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers committed to designing and implementing effective responses to gender-based violence. I also advance social problems theory, showing that organizational features, not just interactional processes, contribute to typification.

scholarly journals Tu'Washindi na PrEP: Working With Young Women and Service Providers to Design an Intervention for PrEP Uptake and Adherence in the Context of Gender-Based Violence

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-119
Author(s):  
Miriam Hartmann ◽  
Sophie Otticha ◽  
Kawango Agot ◽  
Alexandra M. Minnis ◽  
Elizabeth T. Montgomery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Women ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Hiv Acquisition

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduces HIV acquisition among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Existing evidence suggests that uptake and adherence are low among AGYW and that relationship factors such as gender-based violence (GBV) are important barriers. Through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) process, a youth advisory board (YAB), service providers (SP), and a study team developed the Tu'Washindi na PrEP intervention to support AGYW PrEP use in the context of GBV. The YAB also guided the formative research and interpretation of results. The authors pretested the intervention with SP, AGYW and their partners, and community change agents, and then developed guides for AGYW support clubs, community-based male sensitization sessions, and couples-based events that included formulation of story lines for dramatized PrEP negotiation and information dissemination skills. Stakeholder engagement led to an intervention responsive to AGYW's needs for PrEP support in the context of their relationships, which was evaluated through a 6-month pilot community randomized controlled trial.

Ending Gender-Based Violence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah E. Britton
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Place And Space ◽  
State Feminism ◽  
Political Office ◽  
Carceral Feminism ◽  
Gender Based

South Africa’s democratization has been celebrated internationally for the remarkable advances of women in political office. Despite these visible steps forward, South Africa continues to face exceedingly high levels of sexual assault, rape, and intimate-partner violence. This book is about this juxtaposition between women’s national political power and these egregious violations of human rights. The South African women’s movement initially pursued state feminism, specifically using insider strategies to construct institutions and enact policies for women’s advancement. Yet the most poignant measure of the shortcomings of state feminism is the persistence of gender-based violence. The recent turn toward carceral feminism, with its focus on arrests and prosecutions, also fails to address the complexity of interpersonal violence. Through fieldwork in nine local communities, this book contains the voices of service providers, religious leaders, traditional leaders, police officers, and medical professionals who address gender-based violence at the community level. Specifically, this book examines how community networks are created on a landscape that is still marked by apartheid legacies of racism, inequality, and violence. It is also a story about understanding how place and space affect policy implementation. Rather than becoming immobilized by this complexity, policy makers could support street-level workers who are at the cutting edge of the struggle to end gender-based violence.

scholarly journals Feasibility and acceptability of a universal screening and referral protocol for gender-based violence with women seeking care in health clinics in Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vu ◽  
A. L. Wirtz ◽  
S. Bundgaard ◽  
A. Nair ◽  
G. Luttah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Universal Screening ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Screening Protocol ◽  
Gender Based

Background.Gender-based violence (GBV) is both a global public health problem and violation of human rights. Refugees and internally displaced persons experience an increased risk of GBV and health outcomes associated with GBV are often exacerbated in conflict settings.Methods.A mixed methods study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of universal screening for GBV in a refugee population in the Dadaab refugee camp of Kenya, using the ASIST-GBV from January to July 2015.Results.Of 9366 women offered screening at International Rescue Committee health clinics, about 89% (n = 8369) female refugees consented to participate. Only 15% of the potentially eligible population could participate in GBV screening because of the ongoing struggle to identify private space in the clinics. Over 85% of women reported being ‘willing’ or ‘very willing’ to participate in GBV screening; 96% felt they had a good or very good experience with the screening protocol. Qualitative findings stressed the importance of securing a room/space in the busy clinic is critical to universal screening with referral to safe and confidential services for survivors.Conclusions.The findings suggest that the evidence-based ASIST-GBV is both feasible to implement and acceptable to both providers and women seeking care. Universal GBV screening and referral is an effective way for health care and service providers in humanitarian settings to assist survivors of GBV.

Contending with Carcerality: Discursive Resistance to Elite Appropriation of Antiviolence Activism in Indian Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110260
Author(s):  
Chiara C. Packard
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Cultural Struggle ◽  
Carceral Feminism ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
A Site ◽  
The U.S

Research has revealed how antiviolence activism can become entangled with the state's punitive agenda, leading to what some have called “carceral feminism.” However, this scholarship focuses primarily on the U.S. context. Additionally, few studies examine the cultural battles about gender-based violence that emerge in television media, a site of cultural struggle and meaning making. This study conducts a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 46 Indian television panel broadcasts following a highly publicized rape in New Delhi in 2012. I find that elite state actors pursue punitive agendas, but feminists and other panelists engage in discursive resistance to this approach.

scholarly journals The potential role of network-oriented interventions for survivors of violence among refugees in Belgium

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilomo Ogbe ◽  
Alaa Jbour ◽  
Ladan Rahbari ◽  
Maya Unnithan ◽  
Olivier Degomme
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Repeat Victimization ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Coping Process ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Domestic Violence Survivors

Abstract Introduction Social support and social network members have been identified as an important factor in mitigating the effects of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and improving the coping process for many survivors. Network oriented strategies have been advocated for among domestic violence survivors, as they help build on improving social support and addressing factors that alleviate repeat victimization. There are opportunities to implement such strategies among refugees, who are survivors of SGBV in asylum centres, however, this has not been fully explored. This study sought to identify key strategies and opportunities for developing peer-led and network-oriented strategies for mitigating the effects of SGBV among refugees at these centres. Methods: 27 interviews, were conducted with service providers (n=14) and refugees (n=13) at three asylum centres in Belgium. Deductive coding was performed independently by two researchers based on pre-identified research questions, when new findings emerged outside the themes, open coding was done. Data triangulation was used with findings from observations at these centres over a period of a year. Findings: Many of the refugees presented with PTSD or psychosomatic symptoms, because of SGBV or other trauma experienced during migration. Peer and family support were very influential in mitigating the effects and social costs of violence among the refugees by providing emotional and material support. Social assistants were viewed as an information resource that was essential for most of the refugees. Peer-peer support was identified as a potential tool for mitigating the effects of SGBV

scholarly journals Zimbabwean Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Causes of and Solutions to Gender-Based Violence in Their Community: Findings From a Focus Group

2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122091744
Author(s):  
Emily A. Waterman ◽  
Katie M. Edwards ◽  
Evans Irvine Makoni ◽  
Laura Siller ◽  
Sharon B. Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Gauge Potential ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
School Based ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns ◽  
Victoria Falls

Gender-based violence (GBV) rates are high in Zimbabwe. Looking toward a partnership to prevent GBV in the Victoria Falls region, which lacks GBV prevention initiatives, the current study’s aim was to learn about stakeholders’ perceptions of GBV causes and their ideas for GBV prevention, and to gauge potential community reactions to GBV prevention. Focus group participants emphasized lack of women’s empowerment, alcohol, violence normalization, and tourism as GBV causes, and ideas for prevention included school-based curricular, social marketing campaigns, involving men in prevention, and home visiting programs. Consistent with community-based models, participants emphasized involving all community stakeholders in prevention.

scholarly journals Study protocol for a longitudinal study evaluating the impact of rape on women’s health and their use of health services in South Africa

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e017296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naeemah Abrahams ◽  
Soraya Seedat ◽  
Carl Lombard ◽  
Andre P Kengne ◽  
Bronwyn Myers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionSouth Africa is a country known for its high levels of HIV infection and sexual violence. Although the interface between gender-based violence, HIV and mental health has been described, there are substantial gaps in knowledge of the medium-term and long-term health impact. The 2010 Global Burden of Disease study excluded many health outcomes associated with rape and other forms of gender-based violence because systematic reviews revealed huge gaps in data and poor evidence of health effects. This study aims to describe the incidence and attributable burden of physical and mental health problems (including HIV acquisition) in adult women over a 2-year postrape period, through comparison with a cohort of women who have not been raped. The study will substantially advance our understanding of the impact of rape and will generate robust data to assist in the development of postrape health services and the delivery of evidence-based care.Methods and analysisThis longitudinal study seeks to recruit 1008 rape-exposed and 1008 rape non-exposed women. Women were recruited from health services, and assessments were carried out at baseline, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Outcome measures include exposure to risk factors; mental health status; cardio-metabolic risks; and biomarkers for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and stress. The primary analysis will be to compare HIV incidence in the two groups using log-rank tests. Appropriate models to predict health outcomes over time will also be applied.Ethics and disseminationThe South African Medical Research Council’s Ethics Committee approved the study. As rape is a key element of the study, the safety and protection of participants guides the research process. We will adopt a research uptake strategy to ensure dissemination to policy makers, service providers and advocacy groups. Peer-reviewed journal articles will be published.

scholarly journals Structural Violence among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) Within Idp Settlements in Mogadishu Somalia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Gitobu Cosmas Mugambi ◽  
◽  
Karin Michotte ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Violence ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Internally Displaced Persons ◽  
Displaced Persons ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
South Central ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Forms Of Violence ◽  
Protection Structures

Background: Gender based violence (GBV) remains a public health concern. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees have been shown to be at the highest risk of gender based violence. Somalia has been without a stable government for 26 years resulting in weak community and formal protection structures hence disproportionately increasing the vulnerability of females to gender based violence. Continued displacement of community members in South Central Somalia due to war, inters clan conflicts and the ongoing drought has resulted in more IDPs living in settlements along major urban areas. These IDPs continue to face violations such as forced evictions, discrimination and gender based violence. Objective: This study was aimed at investigating the past and present forms of structural violence faced by IDPs in Mogadishu as well as their knowledge and perceptions regarding the same. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional design was used in this study, in the month of May 2017. The study population for this survey was 320 IDPs in 10 IDP settlements in KM-11 and KM-13 regions of Mogadishu, South Central Somalia. Results: The study established a 91.7% prevalence rate of female genital mutilation among the female respondents. World Health Organization (W.H.O.) type III was the most common form of FGM that female respondents in the two IDP settlements (38.9%) had faced, followed by W.HO. type 4 (23.1%) and W.H.O. type I and II (15.9%). The mean age at which FGM was carried out among this group was 7 years while forced and early marriages (mean of 16 years) are common among this population group. Sexual assault and rape were singled out as the most common forms of violence faced by females in the two IDP settlements with the risk factors for this violence being described as displacement, overcrowding in IDP settlements, poor lighting in the IDP settlements at night, unaccompanied females in the IDP settlements and female headed households. Respondents expressed their overwhelming preference for community protection structures in averting GBV and customary law in arbitrating gender based violence cases. There was low awareness on services available for GBV survivors and so was the knowledge on the urgency to seek medical services within the 72 hours window period following rape. Conclusion: The study has established that structural violence is common among IDPs living in Mogadishu and it is constraining them from achieving the quality of life that would have otherwise been possible if they were not displaced. There is need to strengthen both community and formal protection units as well as raise awareness regarding the effects of the various forms of violence facing female IDPs, create awareness regarding services available for GBV survivors and ensure that these services are available and accessible to the IDPs

scholarly journals Risk of Gender-Based Violence and Poor Mental Health Among Nepalese Women During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Lalita Kumari Sah ◽  
Prabhu Sah ◽  
Manoj Kumar Yadav ◽  
Surya B. Parajuli ◽  
Rinku Shah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Health Service Access ◽  
Limited Health ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Financial Dependency

During Covid-19 pandemic, gender-based violence (GBV) against women and poor mental health with limited health service access for women have received paramount attention among researchers, policy makers, health professionals and healthcare service providers. This paper presents a review of published articles in an attempt to understand GBV and poor mental health among Nepalese women in the context of Covid-19. Evidence suggests that gender inequality and gender-based violence have played a significant role in increasing mental health issues among women during the pandemic. Social factors such as low education, financial dependency, lack of support system, limited access to healthcare, lack of awareness about the GBV laws, and cultural norms that put women in the lower position within the society are the realities of majority of Nepalese women. These factors intersect each other and present compounded risks that put women at more vulnerable position than others, which is further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic putting Nepalese women at risks of GBV and poor mental health compared to men in the society. The paper also recommends actions that are required to address the GBV and poor mental health among Nepalese women.

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