The Management of Disclosure in Children’s Accounts of Domestic Violence: Practices of Telling and Not Telling

Children and young people who experience domestic violence are often represented as passive witnesses, too vulnerable to tell the stories of their own lives. This article reports on findings from a 2 year European research project (Understanding Agency and Resistance Strategies, UNARS) with children and young people in Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK, who had experienced domestic violence. It explores children and young people’s understandings of their own capacity to reflect on and disclose their experiences Extracts from individual interviews with 107 children and young people (age 8–18) were analysed. Three themes are presented, that illustrate children and young people’s strategies for managing disclosure: (1) “Being silenced or choosing silence?”, explores children and young people’s practices of self-silencing; (2) “Managing disclosures: Finding ways to tell” outlines how children and young people value self-expression, and the strategies they use to disclose safely; and in (3) “Speaking with many voices” considers how children and young people’s accounts of their experiences are constituted relationally, and are often polyvocal. The article concludes that children and young people can be articulate, strategic and reflexive communicators, and that good support for families struggling with domestic violence must enable space for children and young people’s voice to be heard. This is possible only in an integrated framework able to encompass multiple layers and perspectives, rather than privileging the adult point of view. Practitioners who work with families affected by domestic violence need to recognize that children and young people are able to reflect on and speak about their experiences. This requires that attention is paid to the complexity of children and young people’s communication practices, and the relational context of those communications

Barriers to Leaving an Abusive Relationship

Professionals and the public alike are puzzled by the seemingly irrational behavior of those who stay in abusive relationships. The most common question about intimate partner violence seems to be: “Why does she stay?” This chapter will present the latest research to shed light on the common barriers that make it difficult to leave an abusive relationship. It will address the process of leaving and the counter-intuitive reasons some return to these relationships. Studies reveal that leaving is typically not a single, sudden event, but rather a slow process through several stages. Key variables are organized by levels of the ecological framework. The main variables are clustered in three areas: (1) material resources, (2) psychological forces, and (3) social structural factors. The latter include the way in which formal and informal helpers all too often add insult to injury when survivors reach out for help and how helpers’ beliefs and behaviors are tied to patriarchal norms. Applicable theories of the stay/leave process are presented and assessed. Past empirical and theoretical reviews are updated. The updated information includes the unique experiences of distinctive subgroups. For example, particular barriers may exist for specific cultural groups, races, and religions. Those with children and with more traditional family norms face additional challenges. Counterintuitively, those married to an affluent, high-status abuser often encounter unique barriers. Information and insights from this chapter will help professionals, paraprofessionals, and nonprofessionals further their understanding of abuse victims. It will increase their sensitivity and effectiveness in responding to victims. Several innovative programs for improving survivors’ decision-making are described.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156018/1/Saunders DG 2020 Barriers To Leaving An Abusive Relationship -Chapt in Handbook of Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan.pdfDescription of Saunders DG 2020 Barriers To Leaving An Abusive Relationship -Chapt in Handbook of Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan.pdf : Book chapte