The Impact of Mandatory Reporting Laws on Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Intersectionality, Help-Seeking and the Need for Change

Abstract

Research illustrates the importance of help-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. However, mandatory reporting (MR) laws can affect help-seeking by requiring some sources of support to report survivors to formal systems. This convergent mixed methods study of 2462 survivors surveyed through the National Domestic Violence Hotline explores how MR laws impact survivors' help-seeking, the outcomes of their help-seeking, and whether their race, gender, and/or sexual orientation influenced their experiences. Findings indicated that MR laws reduce help-seeking for over a third of survivors, provider warnings about MR often reduce survivors' ability to receive the support they seek, and reports when triggered make the situation worse for most survivors. Significant differences emerged by gender identity and race/ethnicity, emphasizing unique contexts for trans and gender non-conforming survivors and survivors of color. We provide policy and practice implications given these unintended harms of MR laws for IPV survivors.

The Role of Service Providers, Technology, and Mass Media When Home Isn't Safe for Intimate Partner Violence Victims: Best Practices and Recommendations in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

“…Researchers should also seek to understand women’s help-seeking experiences during and after the COVID-19 era. We know women’s experiences with IPV differ based on intersecting identities such as age, gender, motherhood status, immigration status, class, race, and ethnicity (Lippy et al, 2020 ), and researchers must consider how these identities impacted victims’ access to help. For example, in some ethnocultural multi-generational households, victims may be unable to seek support during the pandemic, even online.…”

“…Service providers should educate victims on COVID-19, so they can recognize if their abuser is using misinformation about the virus to maintain control over them (WHO, 2020 ). Moreover, service providers should continue to offer crisis and counseling support via the Internet, telephone, and text messaging, with an understanding that different victims experience IPV differently (Lippy, Jumarali, Nnawulezi, Williams, & Burk, 2020 ). Being isolated with an abuser during the pandemic further limits a victim’s access to informal and formal supports (Taub, 2020 ; Townsend, 2020 ).…”

Clinical Care of Victims of Interpersonal Violence and Rape in Tanzania: A Qualitative Investigation

“…An associated fear is that reporting will make the situation worse for the victim, either through increased aggression from the perpetrator, community stigma, or making other circumstances worse. 19 Such policies can be beneficial to victims especially in the developing world, with caution that they do not result in violence retaliation or reduce help seeking efforts among victims.…”

“…17 Mandatory reporting is the legal standard that requires specific individuals including all licensed health care providers to report actual or suspected abuse to a legal or government agency. 18,19 Under Tanzania law, all assault cases, including those that involve rape and intimate partner violence, require police involvement and investigation. 9 The way the law is written, health providers are mandated reporters for all violence of minors and adults to police, with the proviso that reporting of assault against an adult must be made with the victim's consent.…”

Fears of disclosure and misconceptions regarding domestic violence reporting amongst patients in two US emergency departments

“…In a study conducted by the National DV Hotline, fear about calling the police was extremely common; 80% of people experiencing DV victimization who had never previously called the police and 66% of people who had called the police previously were fearful of calling. After interacting with the police, 1/5 of people experiencing DV victimization felt safer, 1/3 felt less safe, 1/2 felt like it made no difference in their safety, and 2/5 felt that the police had discriminated against them based on gender, race and other factors [ 29 , 30 ]. Law enforcement response to DV does not always result in an arrest or confiscation of firearms and may have dangerous consequences for people being victimized, including the arrest of the person being victimized instead of or in addition to the person perpetrating the DV (“dual arrest”); lack of English proficiency increases the risk that a person being victimized is arrested [ 31 – 33 ].…”