Melanie McCarry

Becoming a 'proper man': young people's attitudes about interpersonal violence and perceptions of gender

Whilst public awareness campaigns, interventions and legal reforms have done much to challenge gendered interpersonal violence, the incidence and prevalence of this violence is not decreasing. Furthermore, research with young people reveals significant acceptance and tolerance of interpersonal violence if perpetrated by men within the parameters of an intimate heterosexual relationship. Empirical data from a study with young people in Glasgow will be used in this article to explore young people’s attitudes about gendered interpersonal abuse and violence and young people’s perceptions of gender roles and specifically ‘masculinity’. It is argued that in order to understand the continued tolerance of male abuse/violence, it is necessary to appreciate how young people conceptualise the role of women and men within intimate heterosexual relationships.

Who benefits? A critical reflection of children and young people’s participation in sensitive research

This article aims to contribute to debates about the current orthodoxy in relation to involving young people as participants in social research. This article will reflect on the increasing trend of including young people to greater degrees in social science research and questions whether ‘user involvement’ necessarily benefits the users or produces ‘better’ research. The dilemmas encountered in establishing and working with a Young People’s Advisory Group for a research project on young people’s experiences of violence in their intimate relationships are discussed in a way that illustrates the complexity of achieving benefits both for the young people and for the research.

Researching Same Sex Domestic Violence: Constructing a Survey Methodology

The article discusses the issues and problems that need to be addressed in the development of a comprehensive survey approach to explore same sex domestic violence in relationships involving individuals identifying as lesbian, gay male, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBT&Q). It draws on the most detailed study to date in the UK comparing love and domestic violence in same-sex and heterosexual relationships. The survey methodology built on previous research, attempting in particular to overcome the limitations of earlier studies; and to produce data that could be compared with existing data on domestic violence in both heterosexual and LGBT&Q communities. The result was a questionnaire that reflected a wide range of abusive behaviours; examined impact of the violence alongside a quantification of particular acts; took into account experience of violence from a partner, as well as use of violence against that partner; and incorporated issues related to equality/inequality and dependency. The questionnaire was successfully distributed across the UK to provide a national ‘same sex community’ survey of problems in relationships and domestic violence.

Justifications and Contradictions Understanding Young People's Views of Domestic Abuse

U.K. studies have found that young people have a high tolerance of violence and abuse if committed within an interpersonal heterosexual relationship. This article draws on empirical data from a school-based study conducted with seventy-seven young people in Glasgow that explored their views and opinions of abuse and violence in interpersonal (heterosexual) relationships. A central finding is that there is profound contradiction in the views of the young people regarding what is interpersonal violence and about who is doing what to whom. The young people in this study were extremely ambivalent about acknowledging the predominance of men as the perpetrators of interpersonal violence, and where they did acknowledge this they constructed numerous justifications to explain it. This article presents these findings and explores the reasons for why these young people both resist accepting men as perpetrators of interpersonal violence and endeavor to justify it.

Criminalising forced marriage: Debates in the UK

The issue of forced marriage has recently become the focus of both national and international debate (Schmidt and Jakobsen, 2004; FCO and HO, 2005). Forced marriage is a human rights violation, and its impact has significant gendered consequences. In cases regarding minors, forced marriage also has to be considered as a child abuse issue (Gangoli et al., 2006). However, recent initiatives in the UK have been criticised for their emphasis on encouraging immigrants to adopt ‘British’ values and avoid marrying partners from their country of origin (Razack, 2004). Further, commentators have argued that some proposals are more geared to control immigration into the UK than to tackle forced marriages. Evidence for this is supported by the recent consultation on increasing the entry age on a marriage or fiance visa for sponsors and applicants from 18 years to 21 or 24 as a way to combat forced marriage. The assumption behind this proposal is that many cases of forced marriage take place across international borders, and involve young people, who lack educational and professional independence to effectively refuse a forced marriage. This article examines the debates around criminalisation of forced marriage in the UK by looking at existing legal provisions on forced marriage; the national consultation on criminalisation; and will conclude by analysing criminalisation as a strategy to combat forced marriage.

Criminalising forced marriage

The issue of forced marriage has recently become the focus of both national and international debate (Schmidt and Jakobsen, 2004; FCO and HO, 2005). Forced marriage is a human rights violation, and its impact has significant gendered consequences. In cases regarding minors, forced marriage also has to be considered as a child abuse issue (Gangoli et al., 2006). However, recent initiatives in the UK have been criticised for their emphasis on encouraging immigrants to adopt ‘British’ values and avoid marrying partners from their country of origin (Razack, 2004). Further, commentators have argued that some proposals are more geared to control immigration into the UK than to tackle forced marriages. Evidence for this is supported by the recent consultation on increasing the entry age on a marriage or fiance visa for sponsors and applicants from 18 years to 21 or 24 as a way to combat forced marriage. The assumption behind this proposal is that many cases of forced marriage take place across international borders, and involve young people, who lack educational and professional independence to effectively refuse a forced marriage. This article examines the debates around criminalisation of forced marriage in the UK by looking at existing legal provisions on forced marriage; the national consultation on criminalisation; and will conclude by analysing criminalisation as a strategy to combat forced marriage.

The Potential for Co-Production in Developing Violence Against Women Services in Wales

The UK Conservative government has committed to increasing funding for domestic violence and abuse (DVA) services in England but this has not been extended to Wales. Wales has however made clear commitments to developing these services, through the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. This article draws on focus groups and interviews with 53 service users and 31 purposively selected service providers to explore their perspectives on Violence Against Women (VAW) service provision in Wales. There are clear shared priorities and some tensions between service user and provider perspectives on appropriate services. Drawing on the long history of intermediate co-production in VAW services, the article argues that co-production at strategic level is now needed. This would provide an arena for resolving tensions, setting standards and developing funding criteria to enable co-produced VAW policy and build resistance to funding cuts.

Book reviews: Surviving domestic violence : gender, poverty and agency

The law and policy context surrounding asylum seekers is in a constant state of flux. There have been almost annual legislative changes over the last decade and it is extremely difficult for lawyers, welfare rights workers, case workers and local authorities to keep up-to-date with current policy. This book seeks to address the legal and policy context and gives detailed information to enable advisers to give accurate and up-to-date advice to their clients. It is a comprehensive and very informative guide with a detailed index both at the front of the volume and ahead of each chapter, so it is easy to locate the issue that one is particularly interested in. It addresses many key areas of policy, both in relation to asylum and in relation to immigration more generally. Chapter 1 addresses the legal framework for both asylum and immigration law. It is very wide-ranging and deals with complex issues succinctly. It also gives some degree of commentary on the efficacy of various aspects of the law and of Home Office policy. Finally, it demystifies terminology for those who are less familiar with the terrain, although this is difficult to do in such a complex arena. Chapter 2 initially deals with benefit entitlements for those with some degree of leave to remain in the UK. It then addresses the special provisions for support of asylum seekers and the myriad difficulties experienced when successful applicants make the transition from one type of support to the other. Chapter 3 outlines the eligibility criteria for various aspects of support for asylum seekers, Chapter 4 looks at asylum support provision and Chapter 5 addresses housing rights. Chapter 6 deals with community care needs in their broadest sense, including brief sections on support for asylum-seeking children. At the back of the guide is helpful data, such as the relevant sections of a range of pertinent Acts, examples of letters and other documents that the Home Office may issue and details of many useful organisations and other resources for asylum seekers. The guide seeks to address a very wide range of issues. It does not always focus solely on asylum, but strays into some wider aspects of immigration law and policy. The inclusion of such issues may be useful for practitioners, but could be misleading to those who have limited knowledge of the field. Because of the diversity of areas addressed, the discussion, of necessity, remains brief on most issues. It Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law Vol. 29, Nos. 3–4, September–December 2007, pp. 331–337

Book review: Surviving domestic violence:gender, poverty and agency by Paula Wilcox

The law and policy context surrounding asylum seekers is in a constant state of flux. There have been almost annual legislative changes over the last decade and it is extremely difficult for lawyers, welfare rights workers, case workers and local authorities to keep up-to-date with current policy. This book seeks to address the legal and policy context and gives detailed information to enable advisers to give accurate and up-to-date advice to their clients. It is a comprehensive and very informative guide with a detailed index both at the front of the volume and ahead of each chapter, so it is easy to locate the issue that one is particularly interested in. It addresses many key areas of policy, both in relation to asylum and in relation to immigration more generally. Chapter 1 addresses the legal framework for both asylum and immigration law. It is very wide-ranging and deals with complex issues succinctly. It also gives some degree of commentary on the efficacy of various aspects of the law and of Home Office policy. Finally, it demystifies terminology for those who are less familiar with the terrain, although this is difficult to do in such a complex arena. Chapter 2 initially deals with benefit entitlements for those with some degree of leave to remain in the UK. It then addresses the special provisions for support of asylum seekers and the myriad difficulties experienced when successful applicants make the transition from one type of support to the other. Chapter 3 outlines the eligibility criteria for various aspects of support for asylum seekers, Chapter 4 looks at asylum support provision and Chapter 5 addresses housing rights. Chapter 6 deals with community care needs in their broadest sense, including brief sections on support for asylum-seeking children. At the back of the guide is helpful data, such as the relevant sections of a range of pertinent Acts, examples of letters and other documents that the Home Office may issue and details of many useful organisations and other resources for asylum seekers. The guide seeks to address a very wide range of issues. It does not always focus solely on asylum, but strays into some wider aspects of immigration law and policy. The inclusion of such issues may be useful for practitioners, but could be misleading to those who have limited knowledge of the field. Because of the diversity of areas addressed, the discussion, of necessity, remains brief on most issues. It Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law Vol. 29, Nos. 3–4, September–December 2007, pp. 331–337