Domestic Violence and Black and Minority Communities

1
Domestic Violence and Black and Minority
Communities

• Sobia Shaw
• Director Asian Womens Organisation
• Vice Chair Coventry Domestic Violence
  Partnership
• Date 16th September 2004

2
Defining Domestic Violence

• The term domestic violence means any violence
  between adults in an intimate family-type
  relationship, where ever and when ever the
  violence occurs. The violence may include
  physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse.

3
Panahghars Definition

• The term domestic violence shall be understood
  to mean any violence or abuse whether it is
  physical, emotional, psychological, sexual,
  financial or racial to exert power and control
  within a personal relationship between a husband,
  partner, family member relative, including in
  laws, uncles and aunties, cousins, grandparents
  or significant others wherever and when ever the
  violence occurs

4
Defining Issues

• All women and children have the right to live
  free from violence intimidation and fear.
• Domestic Violence is an abuse of power and
  control, usually involving a pattern of abuse
  which becomes more severe over time.
• Domestic Violence knows no boundaries and cuts
  across all cultures, nationalities, religions,
  ages, gender, disabilities and abilities,
  economic status and so on.
• Asian women face additional obstacles, barriers
  and issues which exacerbates the suffering
  experienced and either denies or makes solutions
  and redress even more difficult.

5
Research Findings

• In any one day nearly 7,000 women and children
  are sheltering from domestic violence in refuges
  in the UK
• On 1st February 2000, 200 women asking for safe
  refuge in England approx. 300 for the UK could
  not be accommodated in already full refuges.

6
Continued

• There are still one third less refuge spaces in
  the UK than recommended by House of Commons
  Select Committee in in 1974.
• Nationally only 30 refuge providers are
  specifically supporting Asian Women (Imkaan) and
  only 6 of local authority areas have specialist
  refuges.
• There are 200 more refuge spaces available in
  England for animals than for women.

7
Continued

• In 2001-2002 Coventry Police recorded 4,550
  domestic violence incidents 88 were perpetrated
  by men on women. 10 of victims were Black
• Research has showed that a women has 11 contacts
  with agencies before getting the help she needs
  and this rises to 17 for Black women (Hanmer and
  Saunders 1993)

8
Continued

• In primary Care practices 70 of abused women
  suffered depression compared to 32 of non abused
  women (Mc Cauley et al 1995)
• DV is a factor in 1 in 4 suicide attempts by
  women
• ( Stark and Flitcraft 1996)
• In UK 6 studies show Asian women were over
  represented in self harm.
• Asian women under 30 years are 2.5 times the rate
  of white women to self harm and attempt suicides
  and 7 times the rate of Asian men (Bhugra. 1999)

9
Panahghar Statistics

• From April 02 March 03 Panahghar had 479
  adult referrals and 137 child referrals.
• 49 had insecure status/asylum seekers and 61 were
  forced marriages.
• Last Year Panahghar received 377 adult referrals
  and 389 child referrals across the organisation
• Of these 89 women and 32 children were
  accommodated and a further 48 were helped in the
  community

10
Local Statistics

• The West Midlands Police report 5,647 incidents
  of Domestic Violence across all minority groups
• DV accounts for ¼ of all violent crime in the UK
• It is the least likely violent crime to be
  reported with just under 1/3 of incidents
• A women is assaulted on average 35 times before
  getting the help she needs

11
Barriers for Women

• INTERNAL cultural (izzat, sharam,) honour
  killing/crimes, gender socialisation, religion
• EXTERNAL stereotyping, disadvantage,
  discrimination, racism
• SERVICES access, sensitivity of the provision,
  lack of dedicated refuges
• ISOLATION physical, emotional, language
  barriers, lack of or poor interpreting/translation
  provision

12
continued

• INSECURE IMMIGRATION STATUS two year rule,
  asylum, access to legal advice, advocacy support,
  no recourse to public funds.
• KIDNAPPING AND ABDUCTION
• FORCED MARRIAGES

13
Key City Wide Developments

• Diversity integrated into all work undertaken
• in the City by the Partnership such as
• STRUCTURAL
• Vice Chairs of the Partnership from the three
  dedicated domestic violence projects Solace
  African Caribbean Womens project and Panahghar
  Asian Womens Project.
• Cited in Home Offices Multi-Agency Guide on DV
  as model of good practice

14
Continued

• INITIATIVES
• Setting up of DV service for African Caribbean
  Women.
• Voices of Children Research equal sample of
  children from minority communities research led
  to production of child protection guidelines for
  ACPC (Safeguarding Children Board).

15
continued

• DV Information Guide on good practice for
  practitioners covers issues for BME women.
• Leaflets about support services produced in
  different languages.
• Information pack for children reflecting positive
  images of children from BME communities.
• Multi-agency training programme and DV video.

16
Work of Panahghar

• Organise City/Region wide Seminars and
  Conferences on BME issues
• Hamarah Drama Group performances in different
  languages
• Web site launched in 1997 on DV and Asian Women
• Provide advice/consultancy on issues for Asian
  women and children experiencing DV

17
Continued

• Provide Bi-lingual support liaise with agencies
• Developing international links with womens
  organisations and similar projects especially
  South East Asia
• Feed into Government policy and legislation
  Safety and Justice

18
Cost of Domestic Abuse

• Human Cost
• Violence against women causes more deaths and
  disability among women aged 15 44 yrs than
  cancer, malaria traffic accidents and war. (WHO)

• Financial Cost
• One London Study looking at health agencies in
  Borough of Hackney in 1996 estimated cost at
  580,000 ( excluding hospitalisation and
  medicine.( Stanko 1997

19
Partnership Paramount

• CDRPs Competing priorities
• Inclusive nature representation from BME
  communities and womens organisations
• Danger every bodys business and no bodys
  responsibility.
• Voluntary Sector and BME refuges/ Imkaan
  informing and influencing policy over 30years