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How does domestic violence stigma manifest in women's lives in Afghanistan? A study of survivors' lived experiences of help-seeking across three provinces

Mukerji, Reshmi; Saboor, Lamba; Paphitis, Sharli; Devakumar, Delanjathan; Mannell, Jenevieve; (2023) How does domestic violence stigma manifest in women's lives in Afghanistan? A study of survivors' lived experiences of help-seeking across three provinces. Global Public Health , 18 (1) , Article 2212035. 10.1080/17441692.2023.2212035. Green open access

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Abstract

Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, with an estimated 46% women reporting lifetime violence. Survivors of domestic violence experience significant stigma from their families and communities, often in the form of blame, shame, gossip, and dismissal. While the manifestations of stigma are often the same across cultural settings, the drivers may be different. We conducted sixty semi-structured interviews with survivors of domestic violence in three provinces of Afghanistan. Data were analysed using thematic network analysis. Our analysis highlights stigma as a structural phenomenon in Afghanistan underpinned by mutually reinforcing structural elements (including community, government authorities, marital and natal families, other survivors and the self). In a country with a deeply patriarchal social structure, the main manifestation of stigma was the silencing of survivors of violence, as domestic violence was considered a private affair. Notions of honour were paramount in fuelling stigma against survivors of violence, as any action to report or leave violent relationships was considered dishonourable. Our findings have implications for the design of services to help survivors of violence seek help for the violence they experience, especially at a time when such services are increasingly constricted for women in Afghanistan.

Type: Article
Title: How does domestic violence stigma manifest in women's lives in Afghanistan? A study of survivors' lived experiences of help-seeking across three provinces
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2212035
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2212035
Language: English
Additional information: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Keywords: Afghanistan, Domestic violence, stigma, survivors, women
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10170108
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