NCJ Number
215122
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 12 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 740-760
Date Published
August 2006
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study explored the informal and formal social support systems available to Afro-Trinidadian women living in Trinidad and Tobago who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV).
Abstract
Results indicated that although Afro-Trinidad women experiencing IPV were able to retain contact with friends and family, they were dissatisfied with both the informal support offered by family and friends and with the formal support offered through legal and social services. Types of support received by these women included financial assistance, alternative living arrangements, child care, and advice on how to cope with the violence. None of the women sought assistance from social service agencies due to concerns about confidentiality and shame. Many expressed dissatisfaction with the response of police, claiming that some police sympathized with the abuser. The findings suggest that health care workers in Trinidad and Tobago should assess social supports for women presenting with symptoms of domestic violence in terms of support type and availability. It is also important that police be provided with specific mandates for responding to domestic violence incidents. Participants were 17 women who were recruited from diverse sites around Trinidad and Tobago and who agreed to participate in a 2-hour, face-to-face interview about informal and formal social supports for domestic violence. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed and the resulting qualitative data were coded for themes. References