Women's responses to intimate partner violence in Rwanda: Rethinking agency in constrained social contexts

Global Public Health
Jenevieve MannellAline Umutoni

Abstract

This paper explores instances of agency in women's responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Rwanda. The literature on women's responses to IPV conceptualises agency primarily as an individual's capacity to take action by reporting violence or leaving a relationship, obscuring other ways women may respond to violence in contexts where reporting or leaving are unlikely. We aim to replace this narrow conceptualisation of agency with a social constructivist focus on the meanings women attribute to possible IPV responses. We draw on data from a study of IPV in Rwanda, which includes semi-structured interviews with women experiencing violence and four focus group discussions with women community members (n = 39). Our findings highlight sociocultural, economic, political-legal and historical constraints that shape women's actions in this context. In relation to these constraints, women describe four possible responses to IPV: reporting the violence; seeking emotional support; 'fighting back' against violence; or remaining silent. While reporting and leaving violent relationships are identified, women also discuss the social constraints that make these actions extremely difficult. In designing effective strategies, we conclude t...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 17, 2015·Global Public Health·Catherine Campbell, Jenevieve Mannell
Jun 2, 2016·Culture, Health & Sexuality·Margaret S Winchester
Jan 25, 2017·Health & Social Care in the Community·Ayla R F Lefkowitz, Jenevieve Mannell
Nov 15, 2017·African Journal of AIDS Research : AJAR·Allison RuarkMarie Fidele Kakuze
May 3, 2018·PloS One·Jenevieve MannellCatherine Campbell
Jan 31, 2018·Journal of Interpersonal Violence·Erin Stern, Lea Liliane Niyibizi
Aug 24, 2019·Journal of the International AIDS Society·Jenevieve MannellAndrew Gibbs
Apr 15, 2020·Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services·Deborah Atance-PereiraDomingo Palacios-Ceña
Dec 31, 2020·Journal of Interpersonal Violence·María García-JiménezM Eva Trigo

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