Violence Against Women in Intimate Partnerships: First Findings of Follow-up Research to IVAWS 2003

In January 2003 the Czech Republic participated in the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS), which was a collaborative project of UNICRI, HEUNI and Statistics Canada. After a 10-year period, a need of a consequential research, comparative to IVAWS 2003, appears to be necessary to tackle the main trends in the field of study. The project Intimate Partner Violence: Follow-up Research to IVAWS 2003 represents a continuation of the main themes of the IVAWS 2003. Concurrently, some new phenomena, especially violence against men and stalking victimization, have emerged in intimate partner violence related debate. The aim of the project is not only a simple replication of the IVAWS 2003 study. It strives to research the phenomenon of the violence in intimate partnership in its complexity, diversity and dynamics. Furthermore, it also focuses on some new issues, which have not been yet adequately analyzed in the Czech Republic, i.e. female-to-male intimate partner violence and the phenomenon of stalking victimization. What is the incidence of different forms of female intimate victimization in 2013 compared to 2003? How has the perception of violent behavior between intimate partners changed – if it has changed – in Czech society? These are some of many questions we are attempting to answer via our research. The article introduces the first findings from the survey sector dealing with male–to–female violence carried out in the Czech Republic in July 2013.