Domestic violence : the female perspective behind closed doors

Abstract

As Kate Thornton once said, “Women trapped in violent relationships need to know that there’s no shame in talking out and walking out on their abusive partners.” While some of us have heard about incidents on the news, no one really understands what happens inside a person's home, and that is what I aim to address. This dissertation aims to better acquaint the reader with what it is like to be a victim of domestic abuse. Even though anyone out there, including men and women, can experience domestic abuse, this dissertation will concentrate on female victims because there is far more information on them since a lot of deaths include women and since male victims are less likely to report these kinds of crimes. In order to conduct this research, a qualitative study was used. A total of 5 interviews with experts in the field, including social workers, an ex-police officer, and active police officers, were conducted, who all had contact with female victims of domestic abuse during their line of work and thus had first-hand experience. While being on a limited scale, the data from these interviews revealed conclusive themes. One is that, while Malta does provide services and has developed over the years, something does not appear to be right because, despite victims reporting their crimes and taking the proper measures, they are still dying at the hands of their abusers. Following the discovery of such results, the researcher concludes by outlining the study's strengths and weaknesses, as well as recommendations for future research and training, together with recommendations for legal, policy, and provision reform, which included increased awareness of such topics and services, as well as legislative reform.