NCJ Number
191749
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 1024-1050
Date Published
September 2001
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study, conducted from 1997 to 1998, is the first study to empirically investigate Greek battered women's help-seeking behavior from informal sources.
Abstract
In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 abused women in the only refuge for battered women in Athens. All of the women reported that their relationships had begun well, but over time the men became more violent and controlling. A range of violence -- physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional -- was experienced by almost all the women. All of the women engaged in help-seeking behavior after years of abuse. The number of years before the women asked for help varied from 1 to 8. They decided to turn to others for help once they had exhausted their adaptive resources, had no more hope for changing the situation for the better, and feared for their lives and their children's safety. At this point, they sought legal advice, accommodation, financial help, and psychological support. Although for most women their parents were not supportive in the short run, there were cases in which parents, especially mothers, apparently offered their daughters positive support when they asked for their help. Most women in the study talked to female friends, sisters, or bridesmaids about their husbands' violence, but not in the context of asking for help. Their motive was to find some relief from the emotional pressure of the abuse by sharing it with someone to whom they felt close. It is imperative that professionals be aware of the limited resources available to abused women in Greek society and that women be provided with the support and assistance they want and need. It is also vital that the violence experienced by the women is perceived by Greek society as a problem of unequal power relationships and, indeed, as one of human rights. 1 table, 3 notes, and 58 references