Repeat violence victimisation (RVV) Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) , University of Glasgow “Our research provides insight from people who are not counted in official...
Repeat violence victimisation (RVV) Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) , University of Glasgow
New research paints bleak picture of repeat violence in Scotland. Researchers based at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) discovered that those experiencing repeat violence do not seek support due to a mistrust of authorities, social rules around ‘no grassing’ and the risks associated with identifying as a victim.
Dr Susan A. Batchelor, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, and co-author of the study, said: “It is well established that violence is underreported to the police, especially in under-resourced communities and amongst marginalised groups, who experience higher levels of victimisation.”
“Our research provides insight from people who are not counted in official statistics, giving us a unique insight into the meaning and impact of repeat violence. Many of those we spoke to described having become accustomed to the continuous threat of violence and of having to cope on their own because they could not access formal support.”
Most of the people who participated in the research had multiple experiences of violent victimisation across the life course. As well as experiencing violence as children within the family home and as young people within the community, many had been on the receiving end of violence within institutional settings, including children’s homes, schools, prisons, and homeless hostels and hotels. These experiences contributed to a sense that the world was a dangerous place, where you could not rely on others, including the authorities.
As Dr Batchelor explained: “There was a deep sense of resignation about the inevitability of violence amongst the people we interviewed because their repeated experiences of trauma and harm had left them feeling like nobody cares, and no one is coming to help. The very small number of participants who had an experience of reporting victimisation to the police or another authority felt disbelieved or discredited – and this was often linked to their status as ‘homeless’, ‘a drug user’, or ‘an ex-offender’.”
Co-author Dr Caitlin Gormley, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, said the social pressures on men to be tough meant violence was almost expected of them. She said: “Young men, especially in deprived communities, are often under chronic pressure to live up to hyper-masculine ideas of ‘the hardman’ and ‘protector’ which means they can find themselves in dangerous situations, increasing their likelihood of becoming victims of violence. Yet men receive less recognition as victims and there is a lack of services targeted to their needs.”
We distinguished between three groups or 'clusters' of lived experience of repeat violence:
Unsettled lives: Comprising men and women aged 25 to 59 years, many of these participants were currently homeless or living in supported accommodation and in recovery from addiction, experiencing deep poverty. They reported the most persistent patterns of repeat violence across the life course, often beginning with childhood experiences of abuse, with men reporting more physical violence and women reporting more sexual violence. Domestic abuse was another common experience in this group, reported by some men and almost all women. Recent experiences of repeat violence were usually related to the drug economy.
Mutual violence: Mostly men, aged 16 to 44 years, living in social housing, this cluster of participants was predominantly involved in violence between young people in the community, tit-for-tat neighbour disputes, or violence in or around the night-time economy. Often fuelled by excessive amounts of alcohol, such violence was normalised: described as 'recreational', or as an informal form of dispute resolution. This group were resistant to thinking of themselves as victims despite sometimes receiving very serious injuries.
Intermittent victimisation: Mostly women, aged 25 to 44 years, this group of participants portrayed violence as being 'out of the ordinary', confined to particular contexts or periods. Most repeat violence experienced was either (a) domestic or sexual abuse confined to one relationship[2] or (b) multiple, unrelated incidents of sexual and/or physical violence usually starting in their teens and mostly perpetrated by peers or acquaintances, and sometimes strangers. Victims of intermittent violence reported alcohol and drug problems or recreational substance use, commonly presented as a means of coping with victimisation.
Important gaps in knowledge remain. In particular, the report identifies a lack of evidence on repeat violence and access to justice within the following communities and contexts in Scotland:
Disabled people
People in the LGBTQI+ community
Racialised/ethnic minority communities, including migrant communities and asylum seekers
Men who experience domestic abuse and sexual violence
People living in institutions
All these groups have unique recruitment considerations that were beyond the scope of this study and should be a priority for future research.
My humble advisory: if any of you find yourselves in these types of unfortunate situations please don't seek help in online forums like this or any others that are available. Even if the forum professes to welcome you.
The advice or support you may receive online may send you spiralling into depression even if it is least toxic (a simple comment to a young individual to man up will feel like an anvil dropped on head) or unintentionally detrimental even if it is good natured. Remember this is serious trauma we are talking about and not some simple sharing and discussing of life events or experiences.
You need professional help and learned support from individuals who understand what you are going through. You need to acquire coping mechanisms which will take patience and perseverance. Anonymous online interference will disturb this process.
Online forums, group chats, or messaging will not be of help until unless they are moderated/administrated by those same professional individuals that you are seeking help from. So please refrain from revealing your trauma without any safety net in place.
Repeat violence victimisation (RVV)
Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) , University of Glasgow
“Our research provides insight from people who are not counted in official statistics, giving us a unique insight into the meaning and impact of repeat violence. Many of those we spoke to described having become accustomed to the continuous threat of violence and of having to cope on their own because they could not access formal support.”
As Dr Batchelor explained: “There was a deep sense of resignation about the inevitability of violence amongst the people we interviewed because their repeated experiences of trauma and harm had left them feeling like nobody cares, and no one is coming to help. The very small number of participants who had an experience of reporting victimisation to the police or another authority felt disbelieved or discredited – and this was often linked to their status as ‘homeless’, ‘a drug user’, or ‘an ex-offender’.”
Government of Scotland - Safer Communities Directorate and Justice Directorate: Repeat violence in Scotland: a qualitative approach
My humble advisory: if any of you find yourselves in these types of unfortunate situations please don't seek help in online forums like this or any others that are available. Even if the forum professes to welcome you.
The advice or support you may receive online may send you spiralling into depression even if it is least toxic (a simple comment to a young individual to man up will feel like an anvil dropped on head) or unintentionally detrimental even if it is good natured. Remember this is serious trauma we are talking about and not some simple sharing and discussing of life events or experiences.
You need professional help and learned support from individuals who understand what you are going through. You need to acquire coping mechanisms which will take patience and perseverance. Anonymous online interference will disturb this process.
Online forums, group chats, or messaging will not be of help until unless they are moderated/administrated by those same professional individuals that you are seeking help from. So please refrain from revealing your trauma without any safety net in place.