Intimate Violence

This book summarizes the results of a large international research IVAWS on domestic violence, which took place in the Czech Republic in 2003. Besides a comprehensive description of the prevalence of Czech women’s experience it also brings the results of the pilot-study carried out a bit later among men. It reflects a wider social context of this phenomenon (the importance of previous experience in the family, alcohol abuse, drugs, partner’s aggression, the effect of education and social status). It also deals with economic and psychological violence or abuse and with the overall consequences for the victims. Additionally, it examines the possibility and limits of the intervention of state authorities and non-profit organizations. In the respect of the comparison of several countries involved in the IVAWS it offers the interpretation of findings in terms of the Czech side. The theoretical framework and the knowledge base accumulated in this book represents the solid starting point for further investigation of this serious social problem for many scholars interested in the topic, including the current research project focused on both the replication and the further enrichment of the survey.

Foreword
1. Sociological Framework of Studying Violence in Intimate Partnership
Defining "family violence"
Measuring family violence
1.1 Theoretical Models of Researching Family Violence
1.2 Arising Violence in the Family: Risk and Protective Factors Social and demographic risk factors
Situational and environmental factors

2. Domestic Violence in the Czech Republic: Research and Legislation
2.1 First Research on Domestic Violence in the Czech Republic Attitudes towards violence between partners Partnership violence and men as victims
2.2 Czech Legislation on Domestic Violence Instruments of Criminal Law for Protection of Victims
of Domestic Violence Institutes of Civil Law available for the Protection of Victims
of Domestic Violence Protection of Children as Witnesses of Domestic Violence

3. International Violence Against Women Survey in the Czech Republic:
Project and Findings
3.1 About the IVAWS project Project rationale
3.2 IVAWS methodology in the Czech Republic Respondent socio-demographic characteristics
3.3 Incidence and forms of violence

4. Violence Within and Outside Partner Relationship
4.1 Profile of violent incident within and outside partner relationship
Physical injury, exposure life to danger
Subjective perception of incident
4.2 Co-operation with the police

5. Specific character of violence in intimate partnerships
5.1 Rise of violence in connection with the characteristics of victims
Age
Marital status
Education, socio-economic status, income
Nationality
Size of residence
Alcohol
Victims of violence versus violent experience during childhood
5.2. Rise of violence in connection with the characteristics of partner
5.3 Deeper view on rise of violence in intimate partnership based on IVAWS: regression analysis
Methodology
Results

6. Psychological Abuse in Intimate Violence
6.1 Forms of Psychological Abuse by the Previous Partner
6.2 Social Background of Psychological Abuse
Methodological implications
6.3 Violence as an interaction between partners

7. Help sources for intimate partner violence victims:
Focus on the police and specialized agencies
7.1 Possible help sources The police
NGOs assisting victims of domestic violence
7.2 IVAWS results Satisfaction with police work Contacting the police and specialized NGOs

8. Czech State of Arts in the Comparative Perspective
8.1 Prevalence of the victimization
8.2 Predictors of intimate violence
8.3 Summary: The links between the past and the future

Literature