(VLS6) Exploring Gender-Based Violence in Ghana and Canada
Tuesday Jun 18 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
Trottier Building - ENGTR 1100
Session Code: VLS6
Session Format: Paper Presentations
Session Language: English
Research Cluster Affiliation: Violence and Society
Session Categories: In-person Session
Common characteristics of gender-based violence align with characteristics involved in other more recognized forms of hate crime, such as targeting victims because of their race and/or religion and having a devastating impact on society. This session focuses on gender-based violence that is perpetrated primarily by men and disproportionately impacts women and girls. The presentations will examine male violence against women and girls (MVAWG) in two distinct world regions, represented by Ghana and Canada, with a focus on themes such as intimate partner violence, patriarchy, racism, and suicide. Tags: Gender, Violence
Organizers: Ciara Boyd, University of Guelph, Myrna Dawson, University of Guelph; Chair: Ciara Boyd, University of Guelph
Presentations
Sabry Adel Saadi, Université du Québec à Montréal
Experiences, Needs, and Service Utilization by (Co) Victims of Domestic Violence Against Women
In Québec, intrafamilial homicides account for 29.5% of all homicides, with the majority being cases of domestic violence-related killings by men of their female (ex)partners (MSP, 2023). Coercive control, an often insidious and prevalent dynamic in these cases, is central to this study. Retrospective reviews of femicides shows that a majority of women sought help prior to their murderunderscoring the urgency to understand and act. However, there remains a gap concerning needs and the help-seeking experiences of survivors and their close ones, especially those with children during the critical post-separation period. Our research aims to fill this gap by focusing on the often-neglected needs related to womens self-determination and capacity to act to protect themselves and their loved ones, thus shedding light on lesser-known facets of domestic violence. This research focuses on elucidating the often unexpressed experiences and needs of women survivors of attempted femicide and their close ones. The goal is twofold: to reveal the complexity and specificity of the psycho-socio-judicial needs of survivors in the post-separation period, and to highlight the help strategies they develop in response to these challenges. The study aspires to document practices of self-determination and agency, which are crucial but underrepresented in the literature on domestic violence. Through this work, our aim is to make a substantial contribution towards enhancing comprehension of coercive control, domestic violence dynamics, and journeys to safety. Our study draws on in depth interviews of survivors of near femicide and from proxies (family members, friends, colleagues) of women killed. Data was collected as part of the Canadian Initiative for the Prevention of Domestic Homicides, a large, multi-site project with investigators from across Canada focused on four populations that are known to experience increased vulnerability to domestic homicide including: Indigenous populations, rural, remote, and northern populations, immigrant and refugee populations, and children exposed to domestic violence. This study makes use of the 26 interviews that were conducted with survivors in Québec. Interviews were designed in accordance with an narrative research framework and invited participants to talk about specific times when they didn’t feel safe, what they did about it, who they sought help from, and what was helpful and unhelpful. Probes were used to further explore the resultant stories and elicit elaboration on survivors’ help-seeking behaviours, barriers to seeking help, and the kind of supports that may have been more helpful. Additional probes also invited participants to reflect upon what these stories and events meant to them, so as to gain an understanding of their interpretation of their own story. Analysis adopted a phenomenological analysis to seek to understand the intimate experiences of the individuals involved. Methodological rigor is ensured by careful selection of participants and conducting interviews that allow for free and open narration. The analysis plans to connect these narratives to the research objectives, aiming to reveal authentic insights into survival strategies and post-violence needs. The author of this thesis engages in this research with a perspective enriched by personal and professional experiences in the field of domestic violence. As a man belonging to a visible minority and part of the sexual and gender diversity, as well as a survivor of domestic violence, he brings a deep understanding of the subtleties of gender-based violence. This confluence of identities offers a particular sensitivity to the narratives of survivors and witnesses of these violences, allowing for a nuanced and empathetic analysis. Professionally, the author has worked as a specialized educator and social worker, acquiring direct practical experience with victims and intervention systems. This lived and professional expertise, combined with an active role in the data collection phase of the Canadian Initiative for the Prevention of Domestic Homicides, gives the author a unique position to interpret the data with rigor and sensitivity, while recognizing the importance of maintaining scientific objectivity. As we navigate through the data and starting the analysis, a concise summary of the preliminary with some initial themes , offering a glimpse into the discoveries made during the course of our study. The research aims to illuminate the post-violence journeys of survivors and to influence interventions and policies. By identifying specific needs and examining self-determination strategies, this study proposes a framework for improving support systems and for creating more effective public policies. The ultimate goal is to provide essential information to strengthen the protection and support of survivors of attempted femicide and their close ones. REFERENCE Ministère de la Sécurité publique (2023). Criminalité au Québec - Infractions contre la personne commises dans un contexte conjugal en 2021, [en ligne], Ministère de la Sécurité publique, https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/securite-publique/pub… (consulté le 1 janvier 2024).
Victor Agyei-Yeboah, Memorial University
Lineage ties are central to the social organization of many societies in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana. They are fundamental to the socialization of its members, including the distribution, ownership, and access to resources, as well as the performance of important marital rites. In Ghana, lineage ties are mainly organized along either a matrilineal system - where descent and inheritance are traced through the female line, or a patrilineal system - where genealogical ties and inheritance are traced through the male line. Given its centrality in the lives of people in Ghana, especially as it relates to marital outcomes, some studies have identified links between lineage and women’s experience of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). In particular, the studies find that women in patrilineal societies are more susceptible to IPV, compared to those in matrilineal societies. Moreover, previous works on lineage and IPV limit the operationalization of lineage to a binary construct (matrilineal and patrilineal) to the neglect of women who may identify with both (bilateral). Hence, there is no evidence or empirical work on women’s experience of IPV in bilateral societies. Meanwhile, previous studies fail to show how, and in what ways, specific lineage norms facilitate or reduce women’s experience of IPV across kin groups. For instance, it remains relatively unclear why women in patrilineal societies are significantly more likely to experience IPV than those in matrilineal societies. In this study, we move beyond the simplistic binary operationalization of lineage to include a third group - bilateral – for a more nuanced understanding of women’s experience of IPV across these groups. Thus, our study explored women’s experience of IPV across the matrilineal, patrilineal, and bilateral kin groups. We also examined two theoretical pathways to understand the mechanisms through which lineage might reduce or exacerbate women’s vulnerabilities in intimate relations. First, we probe how differences in norms such as bride price payment (transfer of goods/money/wealth from a groom to a bride and her family at the onset of marriage), specific to the three lineage groups explain women’s IPV experiences. Second, we also explored how women’s access to lineage resources such as land, capital, education, and employment influenced their experiences of IPV across kin groups. We draw on the cultural , feminist and power theoretical perspectives to foreground the findings. A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 22 women ever-married found that IPV occurred across patrilineal, matrilineal, and bilateral societies. Women in patrilineal societies experienced continuous patterns of emotional, economic, and physical IPV, while those in matrilineal societies recounted repeated incidents of emotional, sexual, and economic IPV. In bilateral societies, women narrated frequent experiences of emotional IPV, which was triggered by physical IPV, and accompanied by economic IPV. The expensive nature of the bride price particularly in patrilineal and bilateral societies was constructed as “wife ownership”, which is symptomatic of male authority and female subordination, with consequences for women’s IPV experiences. Partial or non-payment of bride price in matrilineal societies, exposed women to IPV as such unions were not culturally recognized or respected. Furthermore, lineage norms in patrilineal and bilateral societies bar women from owning and having access to economic resources such as land, education, or kin support, which relegates them to an inferior status in which they become financially dependent on their partners’ resources, increasing their susceptibility to IPV. Women’s access to, and ownership of resources in matrilineal societies gives them some degree of autonomy and financial independence which decreases their likelihood of IPV; nevertheless, their experiences of IPV were explained by the foibles of male chauvinism, supremacy and strong patriarchal norms which undergird unequal gender power relations in marital unions. The findings show that lineage is a crucial site for perpetuating or reducing IPV and that efforts at reducing IPV against women, particularly in the global South, must use lineage as a conduit for empowering women by liberating them from the shackles of discriminatory lineage norms. Also, policymakers must use lineage as an avenue for the distribution of socioeconomic resources to empower women economically in marital unions.
Non-presenting author: Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University
Gervin Ane Apatinga, University of Saskatchewan
Suicidal behaviours, including ideation, planning, attempts, and actual suicide, are becoming increasingly prevalent across cultures and societies. These behaviors are a significant cause of death and injury, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where they exhibit gender and age differences. Although various factors contribute to these behaviors, research emphasizes the crucial connection between male partner violence and suicidal behavior. However, there is limited knowledge and accounts about this topic in sub-Saharan Africa, with no contribution on Ghana where male partner violence is not uncommon. To address this research gap and enhance understanding of the linkages between male partner violence and suicidal behavior, we conducted reflexive thematic analysis on thirty in-depth interviews with women in abusive intimate relationships in the Eastern Region of Ghana, which has high rates of male partner violence. The findings showed IPV profoundly affected women, exposing them to complex intersecting economic, physical, and psychosocial health problems. Many saw suicide as a solution to their traumatic experiences. The results suggest the need for policymakers to create violence prevention programs and introduce community-based mental health programs, especially those targeting female survivors of violence. Our research aligns with the cluster of gender-based violence (GBV) as a form of hate, particularly focusing on intimate partner violence. IPV is a pervasive form of GBV that affects women universally, regardless of geographical and socioeconomic boundaries. A distressing outcome of IPV is suicidal behavior, which arises from the profound psychological, emotional, and socioeconomic consequences of the violence. IPV violates women’s rights and is rooted in hate, instilling fear, trauma, and hopelessness in victims. It functions as a tactic for men to exert power and control over women based on their gender. The prevalence of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, arising from IPV highlights the urgent need for comprehensive support mechanisms. Troublingly, some women may perceive suicide as an escape from the intersection of IPV and deeply ingrained patriarchal systems. It is crucial to recognize suicidal behavior within the context of IPV, underscoring the need to address GBV as a systemic issue that requires practical prevention, intervention, and support measures.
Non-presenting author: Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University
Julie Kaye, University of Saskatchewan; Alana Glecia (Demkiw), University of Saskatchewan
Indigenous women's descriptors of intimate partner violence interventions in settler colonial Canada
Ongoing discrimination in the form of racism and sexism are enacted against Indigenous women through a broad range of provincial and federal agencies in the context of settler colonialism in Canada. As the National Inquiry and multiple other preceding reports have found, the experiences of Indigenous women in relation to criminal justice and related systems are situated in the context of ongoing settler colonial relations that are rooted in a longstanding history of targeted colonial violence against Indigenous peoples in Canada (see, for example, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission [2014]; the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women [2015]). Despite widespread recognition of the problem, a paltry number of recommendations from the courts, inquires, and reports have been addressed and none have resulted in the meaningful systemic change necessary to address the ongoing distrust of Canadian criminal justice systems or the continued culture of violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls in Canada (Feinstein and Pearce 2015; LSC 2018; Peters et al. 2018; Bourgeois 2017; NWAC 2022). The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW 2015) indicates “with serious concern that perpetrators [of violence against Indigenous women] may count on the insufficient response of the police and justice system and continue to operate in an environment conducive to impunity in which Aboriginal women continue to suffer high levels of violence with insufficient criminal liability and without adequate access to justice.” Despite numerous calls to action, rates of violence against Indigenous women remaind disproportionality high, particularly rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) against Indigenous women. As Dawson et al. (2015) identify, 15% of Indigenous women have experienced IPV, where their non-Indigenous counterparts recorded rates of 6%. In 2021, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) identified that from ages 15 up, 61% of Indigenous teens and women in Canada were more likely to have experienced IPV in their lifetime when compared with non-Indigenous women (44%). IPV against Indigenous women is also more likely to be fatal (Hoffart and Jones, 2018; Savange, 2021). In the context of historical and structural discrimination against Indigenous persons and ongoing settler-colonial gender violence, responses to widespread violence against Indigenous women remain severely inadequate and are seen by Indigenous women to cause further harm rather than alleviate violence. Nonetheless, such interventions remain positioned as the primary and appropriate response to violence against Indigenous women in settler colonial Canada. Guided by Indigenous feminist and decolonial theoretical frameworks, this presentation provides a thematic analysis of 30 one-on-one qualitatie interview with Indigenous women across Canada who experienced IPV. Ther results expore narratives of shared re-victimziation by and through the responses of the crminal legal systems they must navigate. Experiences of violent vicitimization were minimized and met with disbelief. In a context of settler colonial interventions. In particular, the presentation details how descriptors emerged throughout the interviews that described their abusers in similar terms as descriptions of the police, judges, lawyers, and court actors. The interviews detail a continued and demonstratable lack of empathy for Indigenous women experiencing IPV and a minimization or outright denial of the severity of their experiences of violence. Many expressed how the police and legal system utilized tactics of coercive control in ways that were disturbingly similar to those used by their abusive partners. Through the experiences shared by these Indigenous women across Canada, it can be argued that the CLSs response to VAIW, particularly IPV against Indigenous women, is a continuation of the settler colonial project of elimination. By contributing to Indigenous women remain in violent relationships for longer periods of time, dropping legitimate charges, and internalization of victim-blaming tactices of shaming them to reenter violent relationships, the CLS makes it more likely that they, too, will become one of the many missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada. This presentatin concludes by considering the possibilities of any role of the Canadian legal system in addressing IPV and VAIW.