Researchers from the Intersectionality, Violence and Trauma research group at CIPsi's Victims, Offenders and Justice System Laboratory, presented the results of the project "Exploring intersectionality of violence against women and domestic violence: needs, impact and services effectiveness", funded by "la Caixa" Foundation, carried out over the last two years.
The study was presented at the Monastery of Tibães, Braga, on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The sample of the study was comprised of 715 persons from the national territory and more than 500 professionals who work with domestic violence victims on a daily basis. The average age of the victims involved in the research is 35 years.
Mariana Gonçalves, researcher in charge, detailed the results of the study, which reveal that the majority of the victims has suffered more than one type of violence throughout life, being sexual violence one of the most prevalent with a greater impact. 45% of those 715 persons reported some type of sexual abuse. The researcher explains that there is a "pattern" with these victims, which suffer different forms of violence in the different domains of their lives.
Among the institutionalized persons, 73% of women and 47% of men suffered sexual violence. The researcher pointed out that, after victimization is installed, the response and the dynamics of violence are very similar between men and women. Despite being outnumbered and having less visibility, men have victimization patterns just as severe as women.
In an attempt to provide an answer about what professionals should do, the researcher highlighted the importance of understanding the dynamics of violence and the need for complementary training for professionals, within the scope of cultural skills and trauma informed-practices, in order to meet people's needs.
The researcher highlighted some shortcomings, namely results on the absence of training to deal with specific realities, including culture diversity. She also pointed out that the majority of the victims provided a good review of the services, but there are some reports of non-physical violence within these structures that were created to support domestic violence victims.
The results also add knowledge about the dynamics of violence in groups that are not usually studied, namely LGBTQI populations and minority groups, which have a specific and cumulative pattern of violence. She also mentioned that family violence still prevails in these populations.
Besides marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the conference allowed a joint reflection on the reality of violence against women and domestic violence in Portugal, both from the point of view of victims, as well as the institutions and professionals that work in the different areas regarding these issues.
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