Prevention of violence against women

Who are these guidelines for?

This guideline is intended for healthcare and social welfare professionals who work with clients and lead client work. The guidance includes recommendations for working practices.

What is violence against women?

Violence against women and girls refers to violence that is directed at them because of their gender. Violence against women is a form of gender-based discrimination and a significant equality and human rights issue. Violence against women often occurs as intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or gender-based harassment.

Violence against women and girls may also take forms such as trafficking in women, forced prostitution, female genital mutilation, threats based on family “honour”, assaults and killings, as well as rape used as a weapon of war.

Forms of violence against women and girls include:

• sexual violence
• physical violence
• psychological violence
• controlling violence
• economic violence
• technology-facilitated violence
• honour-related violence
• forced marriage
• forced prostitution
• female genital mutilation
• forced abortion and forced sterilisation
• using children as a means of violence

More detailed information on forms of violence: Fundamentals of Sexual Violence Intervention Work (pp. 117–123) (in Finnish, Julkari)

Women-specific perspectives in meeting clients

When encountering clients who have experienced violence, pay particular attention to the following perspectives.

Children’s perspective

Guardians are often concerned about their children in situations involving violence, which may hinder seeking help. Women may have a particular fear of losing custody of their children in the event of separation, which may make seeking help more difficult. In addition, women may fear that their male spouse or his family will demand custody of the children even in situations where he has been violent.

As a professional, it is important that you:

• recognise the fears described above and discuss them with the client
• assess the safety and need for support of the children and the caregiving adult
• provide information about the practices of family social work and child welfare services
• help reduce unnecessary fears by explaining the role and practices of family social work and child welfare services
• support and assist both the parent and the child, and support the parent in ensuring the children’s safety
• ask about experiences and fears related to the violent partner’s and family’s attitudes toward the children
• refer the client to appropriate support services (see the list of support services at the end of thos guideline).

Perspective of close relatives

Cultural views related to women’s honour and patriarchal cultures may expose women to inequality and controlling violence. In addition to the client, her close relatives may also be at risk of violence. This may make it more difficult for the client to seek help from authorities or loved ones.

As a professional, it is important to discuss with the person who has experienced violence whether seeking help or disclosing violence may pose a threat to her close relatives. This enables forming a more comprehensive understanding of the situation, and may increase trust in professionals and serve as a key factor in assessing the possibilities for providing help.

Cultural understanding

Cultural practices, shame, and fear of stigmatisation may make it difficult to address violence and seek help. All cultures and communities have their strengths, and they are heterogeneous. The professional’s task is to create a safe space where the client can speak without assumptions or judgment.

As a professional, it is important that you:

• ask respectfully and openly – do not make assumptions
• reinforce the client’s agency: violence is always wrong, and seeking help is a right
• focus on the individual’s experience, not on cultural stereotypes.

Intervening in honour-related violence
Information for those who work in customer service (Kotoutuminen.fi)

Sexual violence

Research shows that many women experience sexual harassment, coercion into sexual acts, or other forms of sexual violence during their lifetime. Sexual harassment and sexual violence are often difficult topics to talk about.

Sexual violence often causes feelings of shame and guilt for those who experience it. Knowledge of legislation may be insufficient – for example, that rape within an intimate relationship and sexual acts without consent are criminal offences.

Norms and rules related to modesty may particularly hinder discussion of sexual violence and its consequences. These issues may be associated with strong feelings of shame.

As a professional, it is important that you:

• raise the topic of intimate relationships and sexual violence
• recognise that a person who has experienced violence may need time and may disclose their experiences only later
• listen actively and without judgement
• assess the risk of acute violence.

Prevention of sexual violence

Information on rights and the work of the authorities

Please note that not all women may be aware of their rights. It is important to provide them with information about rights, as they may be unfamiliar with them or their understanding of them may have declined as a result of violence.

As a professional, it is important that you:

• provide information on women’s right to equality, such as the right to use money, have their own bank account, access education, and participate in working life
• inform the client about their legal right to safety and a life free from violence, and the authorities’ obligation to provide assistance
• provide the client with information on the practices of different authorities regarding the legislative principles governing child custody and visitation agreements. In the case of a child welfare notification, explain that its purpose is to support the family and help arrange necessary assistance. The primary task of social workers is to help children and parents.

Substance use problems

Women with substance use problems may experience severe violence in their intimate relationships. In addition, women’s status in substance use settings may be subordinate and difficult, and may expose women to various forms of exploitation and violence against women.

Some may use substances as a coping mechanism to deal with anxiety, shame, or fear caused by violence. Women who use substances may find it difficult to receive help for processing their experiences of violence and leaving violent relationships.

As a professional, it is important that you:

• ensure that the client feels heard
• assess the risk of acute violence; addressing violence and ensuring safety should not be postponed due to substance use
• emphasise that violence is not the client’s fault and that no behaviour or substance use justifies violence
• ensure that care pathways can proceed in parallel (violence intervention work and substance abuse treatment)
• avoid pressuring the client into making decisions; instead, offer support and repeated opportunities to receive help.

Women need comprehensive substance abuse treatment (article in Finnish, Journal.fi)
Women with substance abuse (Julkari)

How should violence against women be addressed in services?

From the perspective of violence against women and girls, it is important that the special characteristics of violence against women are taken into consideration in different services, their planning, and related training. This enables identifying the risk faced by women and girls of sexual violence, sexual harassment, and intimate partner violence and intervening in it.

It is particularly important to develop practices and training related to identifying and providing support for the following forms of violence. See more detailed guidelines:

• Prevention of intimate partner violence and assessment of the risk of severe intimate partner violence
• Intervening in female genital mutilation (FGM)
• Intervening in honour-related violence
• MARAC risk assessment for severe intimate partner violence
• Prevention of sexual violence

Key factors to consider in preventing violence against women include:

• Provide information about violence and its different forms. Access to information helps clients to identify the violence they may have experienced. Women have highlighted this as a highly important issue.
• It may be easier for women to discuss their experiences with other women. You should raise this issue with the client. Such a need may arise especially if the woman has a patriarchal family background or has experienced sexual violence perpetrated by a man during her childhood.
• Professionally facilitated peer support groups and services specifically aimed at women - refer clients to appropriate regional and national support services.
  Services for people who have experienced domestic violence