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In order to put an end to domestic abuse and provide support to those affected, it is essential to bring this abuse out of the shadows and make it visible.
Over the years domestic abuse has become a matter of public concern thanks, in particular, to the commitment of various feminist movements. These movements have brought the plight of women facing abuse to light. Today, domestic abuse in heterosexual couples is the subject of significant bodies of research and media coverage, and it receives the most attention in prevention programmes and public policy.
However, domestic abuse can equally affect LGBTQI+ people and it’s important that they feel free, legitimate and confident enough to reach out to existing domestic abuse support services. It’s also important for professionals to have the right tools and information so they can take the specificity of LGBTQI+ people’s lived experiences into account.
www.violencequefaire.ch has a team of people who are sensitive to issues of domestic abuse in LGBTQI+ couples.
Faced with various forms of discrimination in our society, LGBTQI+ people are more likely to experience different types of abuse in the course of their lives. These include: unequal rights to marriage and adoption; discrimination in the labour market, schools and health services; rejection by their family; physical and sexual assault; verbal abuse; and lack or absence of representation. This situation can create unique difficulties for LGBTQI+ people in situations of domestic abuse. It is harder to take action and ask for help.
It is never easy for victims or perpetrators of domestic abuse to talk about it and ask for help. Several factors make this even more difficult for the LGBTQI+ community.
Some of the challenges they face include:
• Family and friends are not always aware of the relationship. Talking about the abuse sometimes means coming out to family, friends or colleagues.
• If someone decides to seek help from professionals, it becomes necessary to disclose their sexual orientation and/or gender identity to support services and the courts. For LGBTQI+ individuals, this can feel like a barrier.
• The victim's friends are often acquaintances of the perpetrator. Those close to the victim prefer to keep their distance from the situation so as not to take sides. It can then be difficult to find trusted people to turn to for support.
• LGBTQI+ people can feel particularly isolated in the face of domestic abuse.
Social, medical and legal professionals are sometimes not adequately trained to work with LGBTQI+ people and this can have a significant impact on the quality of care and support they receive. In addition, public awareness and prevention campaigns often target cisgender heterosexual people. These factors may contribute to LGBTQI+ people being less informed and/or feeling less confident and/or legitimate in seeking professional help and breaking the silence.
www.violencequefaire.ch has a team of people sensitive to issues of domestic abuse in LGBTQI+ couples.
Domestic violence can take many forms that include physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse.
It can also take the form of threats to 'reveal' a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity and/or relationship – a forced coming-out/outing which can have serious emotional, professional and family consequences, depending on the circumstances of the person concerned.
Whether someone is LGBTQI+ or not, the arrival of a child is a significant life event that changes the dynamics of a relationship and can create or reveal tensions and differences between partners. It’s important to reach out for help if necessary.
The fact that Swiss law currently only recognises the biological parent and not the other, non-statutory, parent creates an asymmetry between partners. This can make the non-statutory parent feel insecure and can potentially create a power dynamic between the legally recognised parent and the parent without legal status.
In the case of domestic abuse, the non-statutory parent may fear separation from their children if they seek help or make a report.
LGBTQI+ families may also feel that they have to be even more perfect than other families in order to avoid criticism. In this context, it can also be difficult to talk about any dysfunction in the relationship.
