Bystanders of intimate partner violence against women and their willingness to intervene: An analysis of secondary data in Spain (2005–2020)

Abstract

Recent decades have seen a growing acknowledgement of violence against women (VAW) as a serious social and public health problem of epidemic proportions. The prevention of VAW and intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) has become a priority within this context, and includes various prevention strategies such as social participation and helping behaviors. In different countries, conducting research on help-seeking behavior and bystander intervention in cases of VAW is a common practice, but addressing these issues is much less common in Spain. In this context, the objective of this study is to provide a preliminary estimation of the volume of bystanders in cases of IPVAW in Spain between 2005 and 2020 (since the entry into force of Organic Law 1/2004), their willingness to intervene and, in the case of intervention, the type of helping behavior (real or hypothetical) preferred, using the sources (secondary data) available (specifically, survey data, as the surveys of social perception of gender violence and the 2014 and 2019 macro-surveys, and also administrative data, as the database of reports filed). The data analyzed allow us to determine that, in fact, in the cases of IPVAW there are usually persons within the victim’s inner circle who are firsthand witnesses or have been informed by the victim of the existence of this type of violence, but, although the bystanders generally claim they would engage in an active and supportive response, this is in fact not always the case. These results underscore the need to develop intervention programs aimed at IPVAW bystanders to improve their reaction and contribute to the development of helpful and efficient active responses.

‘This is what happens to people who don't spank their kids’: An analysis of YouTube comments to news reports of child to parent violence

“…If society as a whole is to become a better source of support for families experiencing CPV, future research should continue to explore the attitudes held by the general public, following the progress made here and in research on other types of family violence. For example, research on IPV has been addressing this over the past decade, building precisely on the social aspect of the problem and evidencing the need to raise awareness and to intervene with bystanders as well as with practitioners to improve their helping responses (Gracia et al, 2018, 2020; Sánchez‐Prada et al, 2022). Although interest in CPV has increased in recent years, research in this particular area remains relatively scarce.…”

DHEERA reaching the young, a novel approach addressing gender‐based violence in India

“…Curriculum (Box 1) was developed based on extensive literature review 11–22 to ensure that modules were age‐appropriate, relevant and in line with the thinking of the younger generation, who today are so in tune with social media and its nuances. The 2½‐hour curriculum included case studies, videos, and a dedicated time for questions and answers.…”

“…Curriculum (Box 1) was developed based on extensive literature review [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] to ensure that modules were age-appropriate, relevant and in line with the thinking of the younger generation, who today are so in tune with social media and its nuances.…”

The Questionnaire of Intention to Help in VAW Cases (QIHVC): Development and preliminary results

“…Findings have shown that a considerable number of cases of VAW occur in the presence of bystanders ( Burn, 2009 ; Gracia et al, 2018 ; European Institute for Gender Equality [EIGE], 2020 ; León et al, 2022 ; Sánchez-Prada et al, 2022 ) and suggest the need and relevance for working with these individuals and convert them into “actionists,” active agents of prevention ( McMahon and Banyard, 2012 ; Fenton and Mott, 2017 ; Fenton et al, 2019 ; McMahon et al, 2019 ; Rothman et al, 2019 ). This leads to the development of intervention programs to modify attitudes and beliefs held by bystanders (such as possible sexist attitudes or blaming the victim) and to strengthen their active responses (reactive and/or proactive) toward the victims ( UNWomen, 2015 ).…”