Violence in close relationships – perspectives, consequences and measures

This book is open access and can be downloaded from Idunn
(Norwegian only, but English summaries of each chapter is available).

How can we understand and prevent violence in close relationships?

Violence in close relationships has now been acknowledged as a serious social problem, 40 years after abuse against women was put on the agenda. In the years since, a lot has happened, both in regards to our perspectives on violence, as well as our understanding of how society deals with violence.

The leitmotif in the book is that violence in close relationships must be seen as a research field in motion: New forms of domestic violence and abuse are discovered, new perspectives gained, and we have begun using several new terms to describe violence. Over time, we have gained a more pluralistic view of violence, which in turn has led to several new aid measures. Different international conventions obligate Norway to take measures to prevent and combat violence in close relationships.

This book presents new research on violence in close relationships, and sheds light on questions such as:

• Is violence in close relationships still a gender inequality problem?
• What is sexual violence in an intimate relationship?
• Which specific struggles do abused elderly have?
• What prevents victims of violence with disabilities from seeking help?
• Are attitude campaigns on domestic violence effective?
• Are NGOs and activists still watchdogs in combating violence in close relationships?
• How do we protect children against violence in parents’ disputes?
• Do restraining orders for perpetrators work?
• Do victims of violence want the perpetrator punished?
• How does migration affect the understanding of female genital cutting?

The contributors to the book are researchers linked to the research programme on violence in close relationships at NOVA/OsloMet and NKVTS. The editors are Kristin Skjørten, Elisiv Bakketeig, Margunn Bjørnholt and Svein Mossige.