Violence Against Women: A Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY) Phenomenon

Abstract

This study investigated the social and cultural representations that employees of the Municipality of Naples hold concerning violence against women. The aim of this research was to explore if and how they attribute blame for gender-based violence and their perception of the effectiveness of resolution strategies focused on either preventing or actively combating violence against women. Their results showed that when respondents attribute violence to sociocultural factors, they recognize the importance of implementing effective resolution strategies. Conversely, those who primarily place the blame for violence against women on male individual characteristics generally do not support and propose strategies to stop this kind of violence. Moreover, violence perpetrators not resulting in the work context or in the neighborhood of the respondents and implications of these data will be further discussed.

Combatting Intimate Partner Violence: Representations of Social and Healthcare Personnel Working with Gender-Based Violence Interventions

“…Regarding the management of violence perpetrators, both the study interviewees and earlier research [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 58 ] found no differences in operators’ representations based upon their gender. This study considers and discusses factors related to how the gender identity of gender violence intervention personnel could influence their professional interactions with both victims and perpetrators.…”

“…In particular, a specific professional background is essential in detecting seemingly invisible and unsuspected gender violence [ 35 , 36 , 37 ], as well as when assisting men in acknowledging the causes and effects of their actions and inviting them to find new strategies to express their negative emotions [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

“…The interviewers were able to comprehend the innovativeness and specificity of the interviewees’ contributions, allowing them to add and expand upon novel research findings. They were required to demonstrate reflective competence, to suspend any judgments, and to maintain an active and stimulating attitude toward the interlocutor [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Downside: The Perpetrator of Violence in the Representations of Social and Health Professionals

“…The feelings of fear and anger of the staff towards the perpetrators as well as their collusion with the “denial modality” of the perpetrators of violence could lead professionals to develop an attitude of refusal towards them, on the contrary, to minimize their violent acts as previously significantly highlighted by Creazzo [ 46 ] and Esposito et al [ 80 ]. The criminalization of perpetrators and a social unawareness about gender-based violence are in fact the two ineffective options assumed by the literature [ 46 ] behind this helpless repetitiveness.…”

“Kept in Check”: Representations and Feelings of Social and Health Professionals Facing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

“…As far as relational dynamics are concerned, roles, prejudices and gender stigma, shared and passed down in families and contexts have been highlighted [26,82]. So has the reproduction of violent behavior endured or observed as "normality of the phenomenon" [66,83].…”