Domestic Abuse, Homicide and Gender

A huge amount of energy and resources have been dedicated to domestic violence, yet the statistics on fatalities suggest that little has been achieved in terms of change. Based on research with frontline professionals and domestic abuse and homicide victims, this book seeks to tackle this problem head on, aligning the often opposing perspectives of victims and professionals. The book argues that there are structural and societal reasons why she "doesn't just leave", or feels that "she loves him" which are rarely considered in the assessment of abused women. Professionals often cannot understand why victims don't leave their abusers or support prosecutions. Similarly, victims are frequently frustrated by professionals who they feel want them to compromise their safety. This disconnection is the cause of many problems for victims. Challenging dominant attitudes to domestic abuse, the authors argue that victims are often skilled managers of dangerous individuals and have a strategy to stay safe which is not recognized by professionals. Offering a re-conceptualisation of the female victim to enhance safety management and encourage a deeper understanding of the emotional dynamics and social structures which perpetuate the problems, this book offers practical solutions for the way forward in policy and practice, including a domestic abuse first responder toolkit. "Domestic Abuse, Homicide and Gender" will be a highly valuable resource for scholars of Victimology, Criminology and Gender Studies, as well as for any practitioner working with victims of abuse.