Barriers and challenges experienced by vulnerable domestic violence victims in the French overseas territories, the case of Réunion Island

• In Event: Gender, Crime and Justice Working Group Panel 7: Barriers and challenges in reporting of and responding to violence and abuse

Abstract

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My presentation will focus on the perceptions of support services among vulnerable victims of domestic violence in the French overseas territory of Réunion. At the heart of my presentation is the role of accumulated vulnerabilities in shaping victims' experiences.

The fieldwork comprised 11 semi-structured interviews, each lasting between 2.5 to 3 hours. These interviews were carried out with vulnerable victims in May 2023 as part of the European Horizon project IMPROVE (Improving Access to Services for Victims of Domestic Violence by Accelerating Change in Frontline Responder Organisations).
Analysis of the pathways to support shows what motivates victims and what inhibits their ability to seek help, as well as the steps to seeking support. Number of specific factors explain the lower take-up of support services for DV in the French overseas territories: higher tolerance of violence, the prevalence of certain sexist stereotypes, the weight of certain traditions, the high level of economic dependence of women, constraints linked to insularity, such as the difficulty of leaving a violent partner. These barriers are exacerbated by belonging to different vulnerable groups such as young mothers, elderly, men, LGBTQ, migrants, people living in rural areas, migrants, victims with mental health conditions. Challenges often arise from the multiplication of barriers caused by the accumulation of various vulnerabilities in a single victim.

Experiences with support services reveal situations of conflicting behaviors or goals, e.g., older people may feel a sense of failure if they seek help, LGBTQI people fear stigma, mothers struggle with conflicting desires to protect their children and maintain family unity, men often delay seeking help because of feelings of helplessness or fear of judgement.

Author

• Margarita Vassileva, CNRS Laboratoire PACTE