Developing LGBTQ programs for perpetrators and victims/survivors of domestic and family violence
Developing LGBTQ programs for perpetrators and victims/survivors of domestic and family violence explores how to improve the recognition and understanding of LGBTQ intimate partner violence among both mainstream and domestic and family violence service providers, and within LGBTQ communities.
This collaborative research project was designed as a pilot study to tailor and deliver existing perpetrator and victim/survivor group programs to LGBTQ people who use, or are affected by the use of violence within their intimate relationships.
The study found that domestic and family violence and intimate partner violence (DFV/IPV) was perceived by community members and professional stakeholders to be a heterosexual issue that did not easily apply to LGBTQ relationships. In particular, many community members held the view that relationships between LGBTQ people could avoid the inherent sexism and patriarchal values of heterosexual, cisgender relationships, and, by implication, avoid DFV/IPV. Participants also reported that the term “domestic violence” almost exclusively evoked physical harm, as opposed to non-physical forms of violence such as identity-based abuse, and this further distanced the concept from LGBTQ experience.
The report includes recommendations for policy and practice.
View the full report or the research summary on the ANROWS website: Developing LGBTQ programs for perpetrators and victims/survivors of domestic and family violence
You can also view a series of videos translating the key findings from the research here.