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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for elder abuse (portugal)
2 results foundAuthor: Perista, Heloisa Title: Intimate Partner Violence Against Older Women. National Report Portugal Summary: Up to now only little is known about older women as victims of intimate partner violence in Europe. The issue often gets lost between the topics intimate partner violence, domestic violence and elder abuse – both in research and in service provision. Domestic violence services and research on the one hand generally do not have a special focus on older women and age-related issues, and elder (abuse) services and research with their focus on vulnerability and care issues on the other hand usually are not sensitive to gender-specific dimensions of violence in partnerships. An age specific approach and a gender specific approach to family violence seem to exclude each other for the most part. The Intimate Partner Violence against older Women study (IPVoW) – a European research project conducted by 7 partners in 6 countries - started its research activities with the aim to bridge this gap and come to a comprehensive age- and gender-sensitive view on the issue. This report explains the goals and methods of IPVoW, presents and discusses the findings of this multi-method study and gives directions for future research and support for older women victims of intimate partner violence. In this report the situation in Portugal is highlighted. Intimate partner violence against older women in Portugal has deserved little attention in politics, in the media, in scientific research, in support organisations for victims of violence, in older people support organisations and in society in general. However, on the other hand, this has becoming less and less a taboo in our society. The pertinence of this problem seems obvious, in a world where societies are increasingly getting old. Also, ageing in society has a feminine face, as do the victims of intimate partner violence. Our data review points out to the systemic invisibility of the phenomenon in Portugal. Intimate partner violence against older women is rarely a topic of concern in Portugal. This is evidenced by the available data collected and analysed in the report; we come across a rather partial portion of the overall picture (for instance, no data available from the health sector). The number of older women who have experienced violence in intimate relations all their lives is estimated to be somewhat considerable. Institutional data and research conducted in Portugal did not, until now, contribute to give an adequate visibility to this phenomenon. Data on reported criminalisation show us that, in 2008, 14.2% of domestic violence victims were aged 55 years and older55. In 2007 88% of older victims of crimes in general, reported to the National Republic Guard (GNR)56, were women (aged 65 and older); 40.3% of those crimes were domestic violence crimes followed by 31.3% of crimes of abuse. Data gathered by our research revealed that in a three-year period (2006-2009) 803 older women victim of intimate partner violence contacted the organisations that responded to our institutional survey. Although we must emphasise that our research never aimed to be a prevalence study, rather an in-depth case knowledge study, numbers gathered here are important to call attention upon intimate partner violence against older women. As it has been often publicly recognised by all relevant international, European and national institutions, violence against women is not a private or an individual matter. Neither is intimate partner violence against older women. Portugal has a specific history, determining social and cultural contexts that impose particular generational dimensions –women who are now old grew up and lived part of their adult lives under a political dictatorship, where women and men played contrasting social and family roles, their identities being severely gendered, and under a very strict social control. That regime dictated that motherhood and family life were women's primary roles. Women were somewhat confined in the private sphere of their homes. On the other hand, men’s main role was mainly the family breadwinning. This context set the path to the present situation of many Portuguese older women – they are extremely vulnerable to poverty, living in poor and deteriorated housing conditions, and disposing of a very low income. Our interviews show that about half of the women interviewed receive a monthly pension below €300. The Catholic Church also played an important role within the dictatorship. Women were married for life; it was regarded as their duty to maintain the relationship regardless what happen. And this was magnified by the State conferring no right to legal divorce under Salazar regime. Although over 30 years have passed since the end of the ‘Estado Novo’ regime, the gendered social and cultural identities and behaviours still play a role particularly in older people’s ways of living. In fact, cultural attitudes towards endless marriages and relationships prevail among older people but also among the society as a whole when looking at older couples. Nevertheless, in the lives of the older women we have interviewed violence begins early; most women said that the first episode of intimate partner violence took place within a year of their marital relationship. A significant number of the staff interviewed stated that most older women victims of intimate partner violence they’ve been in contact with had little or no intention to leave their homes; they said that what those women wish is to change their situation and live free from violence. The way this change could happen may vary (according to the professionals’ views) – relationship rupture / legal divorce, living in separated homes; maintenance of a common home but the relationship comes apart; continuing to live together within a more secure relationship (sometimes negotiated with the male partner as well). However, the older women we’ve interviewed did not wish to maintain their relationship; they wanted to break up. And from the group of seven, only two (the oldest ones) remain living in the same home as their perpetrator. In fact, when they decided to look for help and to make contact with a support organization they were quite convinced of what they wanted – to end up the relationship. More than the emotional ties (if existing), the housing and financial difficulties are the main bindings for remaining in a violent relationship. The violent relationships are framed, in old age, particularly by psychological violence and emotional abuse; these are, at present, the forms of violence that older women experienced more frequently. Nevertheless, interviewed older women also experience physical, financial and sexual violence. Also prevalent are intimate relationships characterized by adultery on the part of the male partner, often continuing into old age. Intimate partner violence is fundamentally a violence of control; control that can be maintained in many ways, especially after physical violence has been perpetrated. And particularly in old age fear and control are high, while physical injury is overall, low. We also found differences between urban and rural contexts. In rural areas the social control and tension over one’s role and way of life are stronger than in urban areas; also, in general, there is a wider lack of service provision and information. We must keep in mind that supporting services and political measures on preventing domestic violence and supporting victims of violence in Portugal are a relatively new achievement. This in itself may have inhibited women in the past from breaking up violent intimate relationships. At present, though, the lack of awareness about who might help and support them may also be inhibiting a significant number of older women experiencing intimate partner violence of ending up the cycle of violence. The influence and support given by other family members or adult children played a crucial role in the help seeking behaviour of the interviewed older women. The majority of them had, in the past, some kind of support from their family members. On the other hand, neighbours often played an important role in providing safety and immediate support. They were, somehow, protected by them, and sometimes encouraged to seek for help. Adult children often provided relevant support and, sometimes, were the ones who encouraged and accompanied their mothers to seek for formal help within support organisations. Formal help comes usually later and in a stage where the rupture of the relationship is key to the solution. That was even acknowledged by some professionals as regarding their own professional performance - ‘it’s easier to work with those who leave their partner than with those who remain living with the perpetrator” [Interviewee 22, Support Center for Victims of Domestic Violence, Psychology]. We could recognize different approaches towards intimate partner violence against older women in different (types of) services. This not only reflected cultural and professional backgrounds but also different skills and competences among the staff in institutions. The critical issue here is that sometimes this can, and in some reported cases it did, compromise the outcomes, acting as real barriers to an effective support. Professionals recognised that sometimes they thought that if ‘this woman withstood 30 or more years living in a violent relationship, why would she now leave when she (and her partner) is old?’. It is, in fact, the professional and personal answer to that question that can make the difference in the support to be given to older women. Also the lack of (human and financial) resources persisting today in support organisations to victims of violence is definitely one of the main barriers to older women victims of intimate partner violence finding adequate support. Older women who lived in long-lasting violent relationships may take a longer time to take a decision. Therefore longer support is often needed. The lack of resources within supporting organisations is thus turning into an obstacle adding to the other social and individual challenges and difficulties older women already face. Older women experiencing intimate partner violence have been significantly exposed to long-term violence, suffer and trauma; and those who do not contact supporting organizations are more likely to live with the abuser and to remain in violent relationships all their lives. The needs of older women victims of intimate partner violence are quite the same as their younger counterparts – safety, access to social and heath care, social and family ties, financial support and economical stability, a place to live in peace and security, among others. It is rather the way they access to and the required duration of services and support measures that differ. Older women, and particularly those who are over 75, are, in many cases, low educated, sometimes illiterate, having, therefore, less access to knowledge about their own (legal) rights. These circumstances can lead to one’s enclosure on violent relationship, not looking for help and support. And this is particularly evident as regards to housing and financial strains – older women lived all their lives in the family home, in what they regard as being part of their own heritage, and receive scarce old-age pensions. They do not see an immediate solution for their problems beyond keeping on living within a violent relationship. Therefore, giving information about possible alternatives to those older women could be one part of the solution as well as psychological support when needed. The women we’ve interviewed were part of the group that came forward with their situation and looked for help and support. When informed, they prove to be very pro-active in dealing with their own situation and in looking for secure life alternatives. In the final part of our report some recommendations proposed by the staff interviewed as well as by the experts who have participated in our national expert network are presented. Acknowledging that these recommendations are quite detailed, losing, somehow, the required strength, they have the capability to be clearly understood and put into practice by the respective professionals/institutions. Details: Lisbon: CESIS – Centro de Estudos para a Intervenção Social, 2010. 268p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2011 at: http://www.ipvow.org/images/stories/ipvow/reports/IPVOW_Portugal_english_final.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.ipvow.org/images/stories/ipvow/reports/IPVOW_Portugal_english_final.pdf Shelf Number: 121242 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceElder Abuse (Portugal)Elderly VictimsIntimate Partner Violence |
Author: Ferreira-Alves, Jose Title: Prevalence Study of Violence and Abuse Against Older Women: Results of the Portugal Survey (AVOW Project) Summary: Overall, 39.4% of women aged 60 and over living in private households reported experiencing some form of mistreatment in the past twelve months. The most common types of mistreatment were: emotional or psychological abuse (32.9%); followed by financial abuse (16.5%); violation of personal rights (12.8%); neglect (9.9%) sexual abuse (3.6%) and physical abuse (2.8%). The mistreatment severity encompasses four levels and compounds the number of indicators of abuse and neglect present and the frequency of the abusive and neglect actions: Level I, single indicator and seldom; Level IIa, several indicators and seldom; Level IIb, single indicators and very often and Level III, several indicators and very often. The majority of the mistreatment situated in level IIa (19.4%), followed by level III (10.5%), level I (8.2%) and level IIb (1.3%). The partner/spouse were the most common observed perpetrator in emotional (55%), financial (38.7%), sexual abuse (79.2%) and violation of rights (65%). The child(ren), daughter(s) and son(s)-in law were the principal perpetrators in neglect (54.7%) and physical abuse (42.1%) and the second most reported in emotional (31.7%) and violation of personal rights (20.3%). The most commonly reported effects of mistreatment were, respectively, "tension" (87.7%), "feelings of powerlessness" (87%), "depression" (73%) and "sleeping difficulties or nightmares" (71.2%). The relation between quality of life and having experienced different types of mistreatment is clear. Quality of life is always perceived as being higher when no abuse experience is present and regarding all forms of mistreatment. Furthermore, as more severe the level of abuse so less rated is quality of life. From the total of women who experience abuse in the past year, 26.1% reported the incident or sought help. Respondents mainly reported the incident to a family member (17.9%), a friend (14.5%), a health professional (6.3%), a priest (4.8%) and the professional care worker (2.9%). Several variables were found to be significantly related to overall abuse and different levels of abuse severity: age: respondents in the most aged group (80 years and over) were more likely, when mistreated, to experience the most severe level of abust (Level III); physical health: women perceiving poor physical health were more likely to experience neglect, emotional abuse, violation of rights and the most severe level of abuse; mental health: women reporting symptoms of depression, in comparison to those reporting good mental health, were more likely to experience any type of mistreatment. Also, women stating symptoms of depression experience more, the most severe levels of abuse; marital status: married women and separated or divorced are more likely to be emotionally abused rather than widowed or single; household income management: women who perceived their management of the household income has badly experienced more neglect, emotional and financial abuse and violation of rights. Additionally, as the severity levels of abuse increases so did the reporting of household income management as being badly. Women experiencing any form of mistreatment stated higher feelings of social loneliness than non mistreated women. Also, as the severity levels of abuse heightens so does the reporting of feelings of loneliness. Women experiencing neglect and physical abuse tend to, when facing stressful situation employ different coping strategies: less active coping and more the behavioral disengagement strategy. In addition, women reporting to have been sexually abused seek less emotional support than the respondents who did not experience this form of mistreatment. Details: Portugal: Minho University, Braga, 2011. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2012 at http://www.thl.fi/thl-client/pdfs/5da64923-9fcb-4865-8f0b-0302e1002127 Year: 2011 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.thl.fi/thl-client/pdfs/5da64923-9fcb-4865-8f0b-0302e1002127 Shelf Number: 124384 Keywords: Elder Abuse (Portugal)Violence Against Women (Portugal) |