Thesis explores advocacy work with women experiencing violence

Advocacy work with women experiencing intimate partner violence is explored in a thesis titled Experiences of advocacy: Situating experiences of contemporary women's advocates within the feminist movement to end violence against women.

The thesis, authored by Diane Woolson Neville towards a Masters in Social Practice, examines how advocates regard their work, the analysis and language advocates use about intimate partner violence and discusses how this work may be situated in the feminist movement to end violence against women.

Ten advocates from different organisations were interviewed for comment on vignettes about hypothetical cases of intimate partner violence, and for discussions about their work and wider thoughts on the phenomenon of intimate partner violence.

The author concludes:

Findings from this research indicate the enduring influence of feminist theory within the practices of advocacy, particularly the honouring of women’s experiences and acting as a voice for women’s needs. Disconnections from a feminist socio-political perspective of violence against women were also indicated. Discursive constructions about the causes of intimate partner violence present in participants’ accounts were both consistent and inconsistent with a feminist analysis of intimate partner violence. Implications of the erosion of a feminist socio-political perspective were considered. Recommendations were made to support evolving feminist understandings of violence against women, to increase opportunities to socialise advocates in feminist theories of change, and to strengthen the feminist movement to end violence against women.

Recommendations include the exploration of a new, 'integrative' feminist model of practice and making training available for advocates on a feminist socio-political perspective of intimate partner violence.

The flull text of the thesis is available via the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse library ('Click here to access online' then click on the image of the PDF).