Intimate partner violence and help-seeking behavior in queer communities

This PhD-project is a qualitative study on the subject of intimate partner violence (IPV) in lesbian and queer relationship with a focus on help-seeking behavior. IPV has traditionally been framed as men’s violence against women. Violence in non-heterosexual relationships has starting to gain attention in the academic and public discourse, however specific help initiatives directed towards these groups are still missing or left unspecified in social policies or practices on help-provision. In this project, I explore the subject by interviewing people who have experienced IPV in a lesbian or queer relationship as well as professionals working within the field of violence and protection in Sweden.

The main objective of the thesis is to improve an understanding of the challenges facing LBTQ people who experience IPV. I address the subject of help seeking from multiple perspectives by exploring LBTQ victim-survivors’ understanding of seeking (or not seeking) help after having experienced violence and by exploring the responses and experiences of the help providers in order to examine the capacity of the social system to provide the necessary assistance when meeting LBTQ victim-survivors of violence.

Contact: Nicole Ovesen