Constructing Fatality Review: A Policy Analysis of the Emergence of Domestic Homicide Reviews in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) examine domestic abuse-related deaths to identify lessons to be learned. However, their emergence as a policy initiative has been little considered. To address this gap, a thematic discourse analysis of policy documents to 2011 was undertaken, examining the justification for, and conceptualization of, DHRs before their implementation. It is argued that DHRs were constructed as a taken-for-granted good, through which multi-agency partners would generate learning while the (gendered) subject was silenced. Attending to aspirations, contradictions, and tensions in the emergence of DHRs has implications for their understanding and operationalization in the present.

Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man Discussing Narratives of Domestic Abuse and Gaslighting through the Cassandra Myth

Renowned for its hard-hitting exploration of gaslighting and domestic abuse, Leigh Whannell’s 2020 film The Invisible Man has inevitably been linked to the #MeToo movement. Despite the film’s contemporary premise, however, its narrative of male violence and female silencing is fundamentally rooted within classical literature and can be seen as an appropriation of the Cassandra myth. This article will be reviewing the continued relevance of the Cassandra myth today and the impact of her appearance within the horror movie genre. It will identify how Cassandra’s narrative as a truth-speaker, who is met with disbelief, has been appropriated for both thematic and critical effect. It will also consider the gendered implication of truth-speakers in horror and the impact of representing a female Cassandra onscreen to critique gendered issues, such as female silencing, domestic abuse, and gaslighting. By applying the classical figure of Cassandra to Whannell’s The Invisible Man, this article will continue by highlighting the patriarchal mechanisms which have historically dictated the reliability of female truth-speaker, thus connecting modern truth-speakers to their ancient counterparts.

Frontline Responses to Domestic Abuse in Scotland

Scotland's progress in tackling domestic abuse is recognised for the gendered analysis which underpins it. This gendered analysis recognises structural gender inequalities as the context in which domestic abuse occurs, enabling more effective targeting of resources for prevention and response. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, described as a 'gold standard' in legislation to tackle domestic abuse, draws on the gendered concept of coercive control. The Act seeks to recognise in law the nature of domestic abuse not as isolated incidents but rather as an ongoing exercise of power and control by the perpetrator, using various tactics. In this chapter, we describe what is known about domestic abuse in Scotland, the strengths and weaknesses of different data sources in capturing the gendered nature of domestic abuse and the reality of how victim-survivors experience it. We consider the multi-agency structures, in particular Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences and Multi-Agency Tasking and Coordinating groups, which support Scotland's partnership approach in the front-line response to domestic abuse, recognising the crucial role of feminist third sector agencies alongside statutory agencies such as police, health, social work, and housing.

A Digital Communication Platform for Inter-Agency Collaboration to Manage High-Impact Domestic Abuse: Structure and Essentials

Interagency cooperation is a necessary response to domestic abuse to care best for victim-survivors. However, for many reasons especially pertaining data security, digital solutions to support such action remain scarce. This chapter explains what needs to be considered when installing such a tool into a network of front-line responders' activity by pointing to the advantages of digital communication platforms to manage high impact domestic abuse and summarising what IMPRODOVA researchers' expertise presented regarding the status quo of exchange of information in domestic abuse cases. Afterwards, criteria are defined that need to be fulfilled by an ICT tool set up for the management of domestic abuse by professional front-line responders. Moreover, criteria to be fulfilled by the users of the ICT tool set up for the management of domestic abuse by professional front-line responders are discussed. Finally, the stashcat® app is presented as a suitable tool meeting the before defined criteria to a great extent. This is also attested by the evaluation of the stashcat® app during its piloting by a Slovenian network of front-line responders. In sum, this chapter shows that digital solutions can assist professionals to communicate quick and effectively when supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

Risk-Assessment and Victim-Support Recommendations During the COVID-19-Related Lockdowns

This chapter covers the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the incidence and severity of domestic abuse cases in Europe. First, the manifestation of the COVID-19 lockdown and its adverse effects on private life are described. Building upon this description, co-occurring risks factors with a high potential to initiate or intensify domestic abuse (e.g., cramped living conditions) are discussed. Responding to various calls on investigating the impact of COVID-19 on domestic abuse incidents, IMPRODOVA research on the first lockdown shows that the related concerns for various reasons are inconsistently reflected in domestic abuse-related statistics. In some IMPRODOVA partner countries, however, victimisation numbers went up, after the lockdown ended. Consequently, the complexity of detecting domestic abuse cases during lockdowns are discussed. In line with the strong concern about intensified victimisation, innovative responses by front-line professionals to detect and manage domestic violence and abuse cases are presented. Building on the beforehand presented assumptions, findings and explanations, the chapter closes by highlighting eighteen recommendations regarding risk assessment and victim support during pandemics.

‘Knowledge makes you stronger’

Julie Bissett discusses how one dental nurse's experience of domestic abuse set her on the road to self-help – and a quest to support other victims

The Socio-Cultural Church: A Determinant of Women’s Rights in Nigeria

Debates about women’s rights and the challenges of social exclusivity, gender inequality and human insecurity, are front-burner issues in discourses on the sociopolitical and socioeconomic landscapes in Nigeria. Despite constituting about fifty percent (50%) of the population of most modern societies, women are traditionally shortchanged at negotiation tables. This premise is fundamental to evaluating the threats posed to viable debates on the rights of women as ‘minority’ groups in society. Unfortunately, the church under the influence of the socio-culture, inadvertently establishes their pared positions through the misinterpretation of some doctrinal bases of Christianity, which allow rationality give way to ‘more superior’ extrapolations that hamper in-depth introspections on reasons for biblical positions and consequences of actions. Riggs’ fused-prismatic-diffracted model of society describes the processes capable of sustaining this dire situation as embedded in ‘non-administrative criteria’. Data for the study were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and unstructured interviews. Purposive and random sampling procedures were utilized in deriving the sample population from Christian-only populations. Pearson’s Bivariate Correlation, multiple regression analysis and theme-coding were employed to analyse the questionnaire and interview responses. The findings revealed that the socio-culture is a major determinant of the interpretations of biblical positions and teachings by churches, thereby upholding church agency as contributory to the rise in gender inequality, discrimination and domestic abuse cases in Nigeria. Strategies for abdicating the risks of domestic abuse and mitigating the impacts on women’s rights in Nigeria, were proffered.