Exploring police responses to gender-based violence and LGBTQ+ victimization in Italy

• In Event: Police and social change in Italy: empirical perspectives

Abstract

This paper discusses the preliminary findings of a research project carried out in the context of a broader study on how the Italian police are dealing with social change ("Police and Social Change: The Challenges of Gender and Ethnicity," funded by the Italian Ministry of Research). The first goal of the project was to explore adequacy of police responses to the challenges of an increasingly diverse society, with a focus on the relationship between the police and victims of gender-based violence (women and members of the LGBTQ+ community). Research on this subject is very underdeveloped in Italy, particularly for what concerns the LGBTQ+ community. The study is therefore filling a gap in the knowledge of secondary victimization and police practices. The investigation aims to understand the needs and issues faced by victims about police responses, as well as to assess police attitudes and practices in the different stages of investigation of gender-based violence. We explore these key questions: Why do women hesitate to call the police? Why do they often refrain from reporting violence in intimate relationships? What is the police's response in terms of sensitivity and technical expertise? What about the specific needs of the LGBTQ community and the capacity of the police to deal with these victims? The research, based on a mixed-methods approach, includes document analysis; interviews with police, victims, lawyers, social workers, activists; focus groups; surveys (both paper-based and online) distributed to victims. The research has been carried out mainly in Bologna, Italy.

Authors

• Stefania Crocitti, University of Bologna

• Veronica Marchio, assistant professor

• Rossella Selmini, University of Bologna