Osynliga hinder, synligt våld : Invandrarkvinnors erfarenheter av våld, hjälpsökande och mötet med det svenska stödsystemet

Sammanfattning

Domestic violence in intimate relationships manifests as a multifaceted societal issue, deeply influenced by complex emotional dynamics. The aim of this study is to identify the available societal support measures for women from the Middle East. Another objective is to highlight the experiences of affected women seeking help from social services when they are in need due to living under violence or the threat of violence. To address these aims, the study was conducted using a qualitative approach, through interviews with seven women from the Middle East and two professionals in the field. The data was analysed using theories of intersectionality, normalization theory, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. In summary, the results revealed that societal support measures available for immigrant women from the Middle East fall short in many aspects. The findings also showed that the expectations of women who have been subjected to violence regarding the social services treatment and support typically do not align with their actual experiences after contacting the authorities. Overall, their experiences were worse than anticipated. Interestingly, it was found that women who did not have specific expectations of social services often had a more positive experience with the interventions, whereas those with higher expectations frequently felt these were unmet. Keywords: Domestic violence, social services, immigrant women from the Middle East, normalization process