Understanding and Experiences of Domestic Abuse in a post bill environment

Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively

Description

Gender-based violence and violence in the home has increased steadily across
the globe (Mital & Singh, 2020). NI has witnessed rising reported domestic abuse
incidents year on year since 2004/5. Worringly, it has one of the highest rates of
domestic abuse motivated femicide per capita, compared to the entirety of
Western Europe (PSNI, 2022). The new Domestic Abuse Bill has introduced
previously neglected criminalisation and litigative measures concerning abuse
aspects, such as coercive control (DoJ, 2021). However, there is little research
into the implementation of this new bill, either by tracking reported case amounts
and/or exploring understandings of coercive control. Whilst Lagdon et al. (2022)
found that public understanding of coercive control is lacking, there is limited
research into understanding within statutory organisations and criminal justice
authorities. This is significant given the ramifications miscomprehension may
have on civil proceedings, and because coercive control is a risk factor for
intimate partner homicide (Elliot, 2017). Using a mixed methods approach, in
collaboration with Women’s Aid, this PhD will utilise semi-structured interviews to
provide insight into the effects coercion has on victims of abuse, alongside
investigation into statutory understandings of coercive control. Data from
MARAC and the PSNI will inform upon regional and demographic disparities
between cases. The PhD’s originality and significance lies in the
underrepresented Northern Irish women’s experiences of domestic abuse, in a
post-conflict, post-Bill implementation society. The findings will contribute to
recommendations for a systemic reworking of support provision and a broad
change to cultural, social and legal norms.
Degree of recognitionNational

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