How Research Evidence is Defined, Acquired, and Shared Across Systems That Address Intimate Partner Violence

This exploratory study examined the flow of research evidence through systems that address intimate partner violence (IPV), including victim services, law enforcement, and criminal justice organizations. Qualitative interviews with representatives of these disciplines assessed how respondents define, acquire, and share research evidence. Findings suggest that research evidence is defined more broadly in the field than in academic settings, and is accessed primarily from trusted intermediaries within professional networks. State IPV coalitions and victim service providers are key intermediaries across sectors. Findings suggest the need for more tangible supports to support sharing of research information within and across service sectors.

Sheltered-In-Place: Domestic Violence during COVID-19

March 2020 marked the closure of thousands of workplaces, schools and other services to comply with government-issued lockdowns to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the Canadian population. While the intent of the stay-at-home orders was to provide safety for the surrounding communities from the pandemic, many victims of domestic abuse soon found themselves confined to the root of their trauma for the sake of public health. Dubbed the “pandemic within a pandemic” by the media, 54% of responding victim services have reported an increase in the number of served domestic violence victims between mid-March and early July of 2020 [1,2], and police-reported calls for domestic disturbances have also increased 12%, according to data compiled from 17 police services across Canada [3].

Estimating the Size of the Human Trafficking Problem: MSE and Other Strategies

The prevalence of human trafficking has remained as elusive as the method of producing its estimation is contested. There are significant variations in the way prevalence estimation is produced, with some methods garnering more attention than others. To complicate the issue further, the hidden nature of human trafficking makes it difficult to apply conventional probability-based sampling strategies, without which for reference purposes one cannot easily assess the merits of alternative estimation techniques. This special issue represents the most recent development and applications of one particular method, the multiple systems estimation (MSE) method. Although we remain biased towards primary data for prevalence estimation, MSE represents a cost-effective alternative for the purposes of advocacy, policymaking, and victim services.

Not All Homes are Safe: Family Violence During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Evidence from victim service providers suggests the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in family violence. However, empirical evidence has been limited. This study uses novel survey data to investigate the occurrence of family violence during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods: Data come from the second wave of the Assessing the Social Consequences of Covid-19 study, an online non-probability sample collected in March and April 2020. Family violence is measured using four variables: any violence, physical violence, verbal abuse, and restricted access. The authors use logistic regression to examine the prevalence of family violence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Results: We find that sexual minorities, in particular bisexual people, experienced higher rates of family violence compared to heterosexual respondents. Women were the only group to report an increase in the frequency of family violence. Household income loss is associated with the incidence of verbal violence. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the importance of expanding victim services to address the additional barriers victims face within the pandemic context and beyond, including broad contexts of social isolation and financial precarity experienced by individuals at risk of family violence.

A Clinician's Guide to Disclosures of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a worldwide public health concern, as it occurs to people of all genders at alarming rates and results in serious physical and mental health sequelae. The reactions survivors receive from formal and informal supports can significantly influence their recovery. Given the prevalence of sexual assault, all providers need to be prepared to handle disclosures of sexual assault from clients. The aim of this book is to provide guidance on how to interact with survivors of sexual assault, which the authors define as sexual contact or penetration without the explicit consent of the victim. While the book is primarily geared toward mental health professionals, the content is also relevant for professionals who work in medical settings, educational settings, law enforcement, and victim services. The authors also highlight that there are particular populations (e.g., racial and sexual minorities) and settings (e.g., military, higher education) that require particular considerations when discussing sexual violence. Overall, professionals have an instrumental role in facilitating survivor recovery, and this book provides best practices for providing services in an affirming manner. The book begins with a review of literature focused on sexual assault and survivor disclosure. Then, recommendations are provided for conducting assessments and psychotherapy with survivors of sexual assault. Case examples are presented to help illustrate specific recommendations for working with survivors of sexual assault. Finally, particular recommendations for various specific populations are provided.

Justice Professionals’ Lens on Familial Trafficking Cases

Of the 30+ forms of human trafficking that exist worldwide, family-facilitated trafficking of minors receives little attention in the United States. This original research study sought to identify the prevalence, characteristics, and challenges associated with familial trafficking cases as experienced by justice professionals in the areas of case identification, investigation, prosecution, and victim services. The study included a survey and in-depth interviews leading to recommendations for increased training, improved data collection and reporting, heeding minors’ testimony, and expanding our victim service options.

Improving Victim Retention and Police-Victim Interactions in Rape Investigations

The initial interaction between rape victims and police can affect how these cases progress through the criminal justice system. In one US state capitol, the police agency determined its initial response to rape victims was less effective than desired. Victim retention was low, and officer written reports were found to endorse negative stereotypes about rape victims. A four-hour training highlighting trauma-informed and victim-supportive police response was developed and implemented, and all agency officers were trained (n=~600). Compared to the six months before training, victim retention improved by 32% in the post-training period. Written reports by officers also improved, showcasing victim-supportive language and improving officers' focus on victim services. The increase in victim retention is a positive outcome for a relatively short training intervention. This chapter concludes that intensive, evidence-based training programs that connect victim trauma response to police trauma response may significantly improve police response to rape victims during initial contact.

Generic personal safety applications: empowering victims of domestic violence and abuse? A practitioner lens

Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have become a popular choice for strategic crime prevention projects by those in the criminal justice sector to achieve justice through digital means as part of the wider digital justice project. These PSAs have been heralded as tools for the protection, empowerment and resilience building of victims in DVA, despite limited independent evaluations. This article explores the use of a generic PSA, which the police have adopted for rollout to victims of DVA in one region of the United Kingdom. We undertook a thematic analysis of data taken from a roundtable and three follow up focus groups with practitioners from the police, criminal justice, DVA specialist sector and victim services, alongside the PSA development team. We found both some support for using this PSA and serious concerns regarding its use in DVA situations.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>There are limits to the use of generic personal safety applications in domestic violence and abuse support including, risks of entrapment through technological affiliated abuse, reinforcing victim stereotypes, and being financially inaccessible to victims of domestic violence and abuse.</li><br /><li>Independent evaluations are integral to avoid organisational responses where generic personal safety applications may be ineffectual, or escalate danger by failing to facilitate victim safety.</li></ul>