Do Victims of Domestic Violence Suffer from Secondary Victimization? An Exploration Into the Causes, Processes and Treatments

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Sociology - Law, Delinquency, Abnormal Behavior, grade: 2.1, Natural Resources Institute - University of Greenwich at Medway, language: English, abstract: This piece of work looks at the treatment and process of domestic violence. It provides an overview on how women feel about the process, legitimacy and handling by the public services such as police and civil and crown courts. There is a reoccurring theme in understanding "secondary victimization" throughout this dissertation on various levels of domestic violence. This work provides understanding on the reasons why women fear to report abuse to the police and how effective the police are in dealing with domestic violence. This study overlooks on the availability of support on domestic violence victims, how prevalent they are and do they actually work.

Domestic violence is a subject area of great sensitivity. Due to the sensitivity of the research topic area, it can be difficult in securing accurate and reliable sources of information. In many cases, the definition of the term "domestic violence" can seem daunting and vague. This study brings forward an in-depth understanding into the definition of domestic violence. For numerous years, domestic violence has been regarded as a private matter, and not of public concern. However, it can affect families and deprive a society from aspiration, hope and wellbeing.

Domestic violence happens in society regardless of religion, race, gender or social class. This piece of work explores the treatment and process of domestic violence from the victims¿ point of view. Domestic violence is not only a criminal problem, but that is a greater social concern. The criminal justice system has to treat domestic violence as serious as other crimes and not suggest that it is a private domestic matter.