NCJ Number
233353
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 8 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 755-764
Date Published
November 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined the experiences of runaway adolescent females residing in protective shelters in a major city in India.
Abstract
Within the cultural context of rural India that emphasizes familial roles for women, this qualitative study explored the experiences of adolescent females who run away from their family homes. Ten adolescent females from rural areas or small towns of Gujarat, India were individually interviewed while they temporarily resided in an institution, along with 6 members of the institution staff. Throughout childhood, participants described experiencing differential attention and care to domestic violence and abuse within their families. In the context of this life-long mistreatment, the immediate trigger for the decision to flee was family disapproval of the romantic partners that adolescent females had chosen for themselves. Each of the females eloped with the male romantic partner, which led to severe opposition from their families, including explicit threats of endangering their or their partners' lives, in turn, destroying the promise of a better life that the girls likely sought through escape. Prevention and intervention approaches are needed that promote community change and provide adaptive options for adolescent girls in distress. References (Published Abstract)