To prevent and combat honour-related violence and oppression against people with disabilities

Description

Honour-related violence and oppression is considered a global public health issue and is recognised by several world health organisations. UN’s population fund UNFPA estimates that around 5000 girls and women are murdered every year as a result of honour-related violence.

A group that is getting more and more attention within Swedish social services is children and young adults that live under the threat of being exposed to honour-related violence and oppression (HRV). To grow up and to be raised in an honour context where honour plays a key role in the daily lives of the family has a large impact on an individual’s opportunities to independently and on equal terms create their own life. HRV in this project follows the governments definition, building on strong patriarchal and heteronormative beliefs, were specific expressions regarding the control of girls and women’s sexuality is central and strongly bound to the collective. The family’s reputation and standing are seen as dependent on the virginity and chastity of the girls and women. Young victims of violence often describe life as marked with control and limitations, where sexuality and love before marriage can cause serious consequences.

The project overarching purpose is:

I: to investigate professional’s experiences of working with people with disabilities, that have experiences of living honour context.

II: To investigate how children and adults with disabilities that have experiences of living in an honour context, account for the exposure as well as experiences of support and relief efforts by society.

The origin of the project is a government assignment to the Swedish agency for participation (MFD) to implement an in-depth survey of honour-related violence and oppression against people with disabilities.

The goal is that through interviews capture experiences from both professionals, that through their work come into contact with the target group and people with disabilities that has experiences of honorary context. Circa 40 interviews are carried out with social workers, LSS supervisors, as well as staff from residential care, shelters, and day centre, sheltered accommodation, and 10 interviews will be carried out with people that are part of the target group. The interviews will be analysed with quantitative content analysis to detect patterns and develop themes, as well as thematic analysis to get a deeper understanding in the target group’s experiences and need for support. With the result as a starting point, methods for preventing discovering and investigating as well as give adequate support for victims of honour-related violence and oppression, can be developed.