Background:
‘Violence in the Lives of Homeless Women’ is a research about the experience of homeless
women who suffered violence. The study was commissioned by YMCA and was carried out
by Outlook Coop. The main researchers in this study were Dr Lara Bezzina and Mr. Holger
Suarez.Research Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to explore in-depth the experiences of present or former
homeless women who suffered violence. The study has produced a number of
recommendations to police-makers. Moreover, a Surviving Tool Kit and a Homelessness &
Traumatic Stress Training Package has been developed based on the findings of this research.Definitions:
Domestic Violence - According to Istanbul Convention, ‘domestic violence’ refers to:
‘all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family
or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not the
perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim’ (Article 3b).
Homelessness - In order to define homelessness in an operational way, The European
Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) has
identified three domains which constitute a ‘home’, the absence of which can be taken to
delineate homelessness. ‘Having a home can be understood as: having an adequate dwelling
(or space) over which a person and his/her family can exercise exclusive possession (physical
domain); being able to maintain privacy and enjoy relations (social domain) and having legal
title to occupation (legal domain)’. Ethos, European Typology of Homelessness and housing
exclusion, FEANTSA (p. 1).Design:
This study adopted a qualitative research design and the data collection strategy used
included ten qualitative interviews with survivors. The interviews were audio-recorded and
transcribed; the transcripts were coded using the methods employed in Grounded Theory.Results:
Various issues have emerged and these include:
• The influence of the family of origin and the long-lasting negative effects of inter-generational abuse;
• Children: their protection, alienation and the painful separation from children;
• Mental health problems and disability;
• Experiences of homelessness, housing instability and issues with social housing;
• The experience within the shelters and services and support outside the shelter;
• The judiciary and helping professionals;
• Trauma and resilience;
• Evidence seems to suggest that while support exists for survivors, there are still gaps
in services which need to be addressed in order to ensure that they are able to get back
on their feet as soon as possible. As is evident from the results of this study, services
need to take into account the multiple aspects of the survivor’s life, including physical
and mental health, child support, temporary shelters, long-term housing, employment,
education, social benefits, social networks, protection and justice.Limitations:
The participants in this qualitative research are not representative of the whole population of
survivors, thus generalisations must be cautionary. Furthermore, no participants could be
identified in Gozo or within asylum seekers’ accommodation centres for this research study.peer-reviewe
