What's love got to do with marriage?

The formation of a marriage is frequently conceptualised as one of the most intimate relationships that people enter into, predicated on particular assumptions of romantic love at the point of entry into the marriage. This article explores marriage practices associated with ‘love’ and ‘arranged’ marriages, frequently presented as polar opposites, with love marriages positioned as normative and arranged marriages as alien and other. It draws attention to non-traditional practices such as online dating and ‘mail-order’ marriages to disrupt dominant assumptions of romantic love and draws some parallels between these practices and those of arranged marriages. By doing so, the article not only acknowledges alternative trajectories to marriage, but also serves as a useful intervention to interrogate the hegemonic Euro-American constructions of intimate relationships

We Are Still Here: Re-Centring the Quintessential Subject of Intersectionality

This paper argues that “Black woman” should remain the quintessential subject of intersectionality as we are concerned that racialization has been submerged within intersectionality debates. Drawing on research and policy related to violence against women in minoritized communities in the UK, we (re)interrogate the explanatory power and effects of intersectionality

Forced Marriage, Coercive Control, and Conducive Contexts: The Experiences of Women in Scotland

This paper is based on the first Scottish study of survivor perspectives of forced marriage. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight survivors. Our thematic analysis identified five key themes: understandings of forced marriage; the ‘grooming’ process; betrayal; legal responses and women’s resistance. Utilising Stark’s (2007) framework of coercive control and Kelly’s (2007) concept of conducive contexts, we illuminate hitherto under-appreciated dynamics of forced marriage: i) the conceptualisation of forced marriage as a process rather than an event, ii) the role of mothers within patriarchal contexts and iii) betrayals of family and services as compounding long-term adverse effects of forced marriage

Children and Domestic Homicide

In England and Wales, Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) are completed following domestic homicides. They provide multi-agency accounts of families living with domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and their interactions with services. This study addressed children’s involvement in domestic homicide. We analysed all DHRs where there were children under eighteen among those published in 2011–16. This yielded a sub-sample of fifty-five DHRs from a total of 142 reports. The extent of children’s exposure to homicide varied, with some directly witnessing the homicide, viewing the aftermath or calling for help. DHRs provided limited information on children’s needs or their future care and children were only rarely involved in the review process itself. Nearly a third of reports identified that children had previous experience of DVA and contact emerged as a means of sustaining control and intimidation. There was evidence of blinkered vision among professionals who missed indicators of DVA and failed to engage with perpetrators or listen to children. Practitioners need training and assessment tools that direct their attention onto children and knowledge of resources that enables identification of need and appropriate referrals. Law and practice should address children’s involvement in the DHR process and the risks embedded in child contact

GPs’ views and perspectives on patient non-adherence to treatment in primary care prior to suicide

Background: Individuals who do not adhere to their treatment regimens may be at greater risk of suicide but these issues are relatively unexplored in primary care services. Aim: To explore GPs’ views and perspectives on the reasons why patients who were in contact with mental health services in the year prior to suicide was non-adherent to treatment prior to their death. Method: In total, 198 semi-structured face-to-face interviews with GPs of people who had died by suicide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic approach. Results: The following themes were conceptualized from GP interviews: (i) “Lack of insight or denial?” relates to what GPs perceived as their patients lack of insight into their psychiatric illness; (ii) “Lack of treatment choices” discusses GPs’ understanding of patient treatment choices; (iii) “Services for comorbidity and dual diagnosis” refers to treatment availability for suicidal patients with two or more mental health diagnoses. Conclusions: For suicide prevention, it is crucial for health professionals to assess patients and manage the possible causes of non-adherence. Policies for increasing treatment adherence, improving services for dual diagnosis, or providing alternative treatments to meet individual patient needs may help to achieve the best health outcomes and could potentially prevent suicide

Summary of the NECTOS study of specialist crack services

The Government acknowledges that crack and cocaine use is a significant public health issue. It has attached a high priority to getting more crack users into treatment and retaining them, and commissioning new research into the effectiveness of different treatment methods. Tackling Crack: A National Plan (Home Office, 2002) was implemented in 2003. There has been no independent assessment of existing crack and cocaine treatment services in this country to establish what interventions are delivered, how effective services are, and what lessons can be learned for future service planning. This evaluation aims to directly address this shortcoming. The National Evaluation of Crack Cocaine Treatment and Outcome Study (NECTOS) (NTA, 2007, forthcoming) evaluated a number of well-established specialist crack treatment services. The intention was to describe the interventions they provided, to measure how effective the services were in engaging and retaining crack users, and to assess whether they helped users reduce their consumption

The role of Cultural beliefs, norms, and practices in Nigerian women’s experiences of Sexual Abuse and Violence in the Northwest of England

This study aims to explore if and how cultural beliefs, norms and practices might contribute to Nigerian women’s experiences of sexual abuse and violence. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 12 women of Nigerian origin living in the Northwest of England who had experienced sexual abuse and violence. Women’s accounts were analysed thematically, and drawing upon a feminist-intersectional conceptual framework, analysis reveals that male privilege defined by gendered role and expectation; religious beliefs; rape myths and bride price with the associated practice of libation may have contributed to women’s experiences of sexual abuse and violence