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Upcoming event: Weaving Stories of Peer Sexual Abuse 

    Insights from a youth co-created animation project

    Weaving Stories is a pilot animation project developed by County-Durham arts education company, Changing Relations, and funded via the VISION research consortium through the Small Projects Fund.

    The animation was co-produced with Secondary-aged students, survivors of peer sexual abuse, and an artistic team, to amplify young people’s voices on the theme of unwanted sexual behaviour and the culture that enables it. The students and young survivors shaped every aspect of the animation.

    An interdisciplinary Steering Group of academic researchers, creative practitioners, and child protection and sexual violence specialists from a North East school and Rape Crisis centre, were also involved in the project.

    With this animation and associated school based learning programme, Changing Relations seeks to influence knowledge, behaviour, and institutional change using the impactful animation as stimulus for reflection. Following this pilot project, VISION and Changing Relations have organised a one-hour webinar for UK policymakers and practitioners to:

    • Watch the co-created animation (20 minutes)
    • Hear young people’s perspectives on the key themes and co-production approach
    • Explore the animation’s potential impact on school cultures, disclosure, help-seeking, and victim-blaming attitudes
    • Engage in academic-informed analysis of trauma-informed safeguarding and youth-centred approaches to sexual violence prevention
    • Gain practical insights on using creative participatory approaches to engage young people in conversations about violence and abuse
    • Consider actionable recommendations for policy and practice
    • Contribute your reflections

    This webinar will be of interest to a wide range of professionals who work with adolescents and / or in violence-prevention. Educators, social workers, academics, and third sector, central and local government policy analysts and researchers in particular may be interested.

    There are two dates providing the option to choose between a more practice or policy oriented session:

    • Thursday 8th May 1-2pm for policymakers
    • Wednesday 14th May 3-4pm for practitioners

    Speakers and facilitators

    • Lisa Davis, Managing Director, Changing Relations
    • Kate Gorman, Creative Producer and Artistic Director, Changing Relations
    • Kimberly Cullen, Knowledge Exchange Manager, UKPRP VISION research consortium, City St George’s UoL

    Webinar registration

    To register for free for either the 8th or 14th of May, please visit our page on Ticket Tailor.

    The webinar will be on Microsoft Teams and you will receive the link on the day you choose to attend.

    For further information, please contact VISION_Management_Team@citystgeorges.ac.uk

    United to End Violence Against Women and Girls: An Online Animated Campaign  

      Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a pressing issue in Iran, a Middle Eastern country marked by its patriarchal structure and systematic and pervasive gender discrimination. Educational programmes addressing this issue are scarce, and cultural barriers often hinder open discussion. The United to End Violence Against Women and Girls campaign aims to break this silence through a series of animated videos in Farsi and English and images designed to inform public discourse and to empower victims to seek support.

       The United to End Violence Against Women and Girls project was led by VISION researchers Ladan Hashemi and Sally McManus, in collaboration with colleagues from other UK universities including the University of Bristol, Goldsmiths University, Animation Research Centre at the University for the Creative Arts, and Leeds Beckett University. 

      They worked with an animation production team in Iran, a social media advisor, and two advisory groups. The advisory groups were Mehre Shams Afarid, an Iran-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), and IKWRO, a London-based charity providing services to women victims of violence from the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region—to incorporate culturally specific insights.

      Although the project initially focused on Iran, engaging with the UK-based NGO revealed an interest in extending its reach. As a result, English subtitles were added to make the animations accessible to a wider audience. This collaboration helped the content resonate with audiences both in Iran and within the global diaspora community, particularly those from the MENA region.

      The animations are grounded in evidence from a survey of 453 women in Iran, which explored the manifestation of various forms of VAWG in Iran and women’s perspectives on how to eliminate it. The survey was designed by Fatima Babakhani, CEO of Mehre Shams Afarid.

      Key findings from participants’ open-ended responses to the survey showed that, despite structural inequalities and deeply ingrained societal, cultural, and religious norms that perpetuate VAWG, change is possible through education and legal reforms.

      As one survey participant noted: “Unfortunately, many still don’t understand what violence truly is. Raising awareness is the solution.”

      The first four United to End Violence Against Women and Girls campaign animations focus on coercive control, economic abuse, technology-facilitated abuse, and active bystander interventions, with two more animations in development.

      With guidance from an Iranian social media advisor, a digital strategy was developed to maximise the campaign’s impact. Instagram was chosen as the primary distribution platform, as it is the most widely used social media platform in Iran, with over 47 million users. The animations are also shared on YouTube to further extend the campaign’s reach.

      Influencers and women’s rights activists with followings from thousands to millions were partnered with to amplify the campaign’s reach. The online campaign officially launched 25th November, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.

      By leveraging evidence-based content and strategic partnerships, we hope to spark meaningful conversations and drive change across Iran and the diaspora communities from the MENA region.

      Join us in raising awareness and advocating for change. Please follow and share the campaign links on your social media to help spread the message.

      Link to Instagram page

      Link to YouTube channel

      This project was funded by City St George’s, University of London Higher Education Impact Fund (HEIF) Knowledge Exchange and by the UKPRP VISION research consortium.

      For further information, please contact Ladan at ladan.hashemi@city.ac.uk

      The impact and risk factors of adolescent domestic abuse: A rapid systematic review

        As a phenomenon, abusive behavior between adolescents in intimate relationships remains relatively invisible, due in part to the persistent yet unfounded assumption that domestic abuse is something that occurs between adults. There is an emerging body of evidence indicating that both victimization and perpetration in intimate partner relationships can and do occur well before adulthood.

        This review seeks to improve understandings of intimate partner abuse between adolescents, focusing in particular on younger adolescents below the age of 16 and the impacts and risk and protective factors.

        VISION researchers Dr Ruth Weir, Dr Olumide Adisa and Dr Niels Blom, with their collaborators, conducted a rapid systematic review by searching three electronic databases (PsycInfo, Embase, and Social Sciences Citation Index). The team utilized pre-existing systematic reviews to identify relevant primary studies. Findings of the included studies were described and summarized using narrative synthesis.

        Seventy-nine studies were identified for inclusion. Synthesis of the findings of these studies identified five categories of risk and protective factors, including bullying and parental intimate partner violence, social and cultural factors, school and neighborhood environment and health and wellbeing. However, the review also identified a gap of qualitative research and a lack of attention to how ADA intersects with cultural factors, gender differences, criminalization, and poor mental health. Many of the studies report on school-based settings, limiting understanding of the role of neighborhood factors in prevention, protection and recovery. Participatory research on help-seeking behaviors of adolescents is rare.

        The review synthesized risk and protective factors associated with ADA, especially those occurring between younger adolescents. It highlighted the complex interplay and overlap between using and experiencing violence and abuse and the need for systematic research to inform the development of advocacy, interventions and prevention that is right for young people.

        Highlights from the VISION ADA rapid review: Gaps, limitations & considerations for future research

        • Little recent academic interest on ADA in the UK
        • Focus in existing global literature on physical or sexual violence but less so on coercive control or emotional / psychological abuse
        • Lack of systematic examination of long-term consequences of ADA on wellbeing
        • Lack of intersectional analysis (ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc)
        • Little exploration of adolescents’ help-seeking behaviours and attitudes to different kinds of possible support
        • Research design limitations

        To download the paper: Adolescent Domestic Abuse and Its Consequences: A Rapid Systematic Review | Journal of Family Violence

        To cite: Weir, R., Adisa, O., Blom, N. et al. Adolescent Domestic Abuse and Its Consequences: A Rapid Systematic Review. J Fam Viol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00813-4

        For more information on this rapid review, please contact Ruth at ruth.weir@city.ac.uk

        To view and / or download the list of systematic reviews included in this paper:

        SRs included in Weir ADA journal articleDownload

        Further ADA research across the VISION consortium:

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        Centring otherness with migrant women affected by domestic abuse

          Victims-survivors with insecure immigration status in the UK are subject to complexities that limit their access to safety, support, and justice. While campaigners have been advocating for more equitable pathways for provision and support over the years, migrant women continue to navigate hostile environments characterised by dehumanising language and anti-migrant bureaucratic systems.

          This chapter, written by VISION researcher Dr Olumide Adisa for the book, Otherness in Communication Research: Perspectives in Media, Interpersonal, and Intercultural Communication, reports on how a feminist dialogic approach (characterised by open, inclusive dialogue and a foundational understanding of social, economic, and political equality for women) was used to centre the often ‘silent voices’ of migrant women affected by domestic abuse.

          Feminist dialogical approach acknowledges the complexities that characterise the migrant victim’s journey through the system—the relationship between the self-other, in a peculiar hostile environment which views the other as a ‘threat’. Migrant women continue to endure this othering within agencies as they seek safety and support. For example, some professionals conflating ‘foreignness’ with ‘insecure immigration statuses’, when confronted with difference. This theorisation of self and other lends itself to a social justice-oriented practice.

          Using different art forms (co-produced with migrant women) and purposeful conversations, attendees were able to encounter migrant women as not a distant ‘other’ whom ‘we’ observe and theorise but as equal partners in the creating and reshaping on knowledge systems on safety, support, and justice.

          This chapter draws on quotes from survivors to funnel through a hopeful lingering over otherness that positions migrant women as deserving of consideration and care, and considers empowering aspects about the other that may often be dismissed in professional circles, but nonetheless are important as a protective element of a safety net.

          To download the chapter: Centring Otherness with Migrant Women Affected by Domestic Abuse | SpringerLink

          To cite: Adisa, O. (2025). Centring Otherness with Migrant Women Affected by Domestic Abuse. In: Magalhaes, L. (eds) Otherness in Communication Research. Palgrave Studies in Otherness and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73788-6_16

          For further information, please contact Olumide at olumide.adisa@city.ac.uk

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          Intimate partner violence impacts affected by relationship status and offence type

            Intimate partner violence and abuse has a detrimental impact on victim-survivors’ health and wellbeing. However, intimate partners include a range of different relationship types, which are rarely differentiated or contrasted in research. In this paper, VISION researchers, Dr Niels Blom and Dr Polina Obolenskaya, investigate with Dr Jessica Phoenix and Merili Pullerits, whether different types of intimate partners commit different types of violence/abuse and whether the injury and wellbeing impact on victim-survivors varies by intimate partner relationship type.

            They estimate models for victim-survivors’ emotional impact and injuries using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2001–2020). Intimate partner relationships are differentiated into four groups (current versus former partner, and spouses/partners versus boy/girlfriends). Violence and abuse are grouped into physical violence/abuse, sexual violence/abuse, threats, and economic crimes.

            The team found that for both men and women, offences committed by current partners are more likely to involve physical violence/abuse than offences by former partners. Ordered logit models indicate that female victim-survivors of physical violence/abuse or economic crimes experience more severe emotional impacts when the perpetrator is their current or former spouse/partner compared to a current or former boy/girlfriend. Women’s risk of injuries from physical violence and economic offences are higher when committed by current compared to former partners. Few differences are identified for men’s emotional impact and injuries.

            The type of intimate partner relationship is associated with type of violence/abuse experienced, and for women, with the resulting emotional impact and injury. Future research and policies aimed at reducing harms from intimate partner violence and abuse and supporting victim-survivors should therefore consider distinctions in relationships to deliver more targeted interventions.

            To download the paper: Physical and Emotional Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Distinctions by Relationship Status and Offence Type | Journal of Family Violence

            To cite: Blom, N., Obolenskaya, P., Phoenix, J. and M. Pullerits. Physical and Emotional Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Distinctions by Relationship Status and Offence Type. J Fam Viol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00786-w

            For further information, please contact Niels at niels.blom@manchester.ac.uk

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            VISION-funded research: Surviving Economic Abuse survey initial findings released

              Tackling economic abuse should be part of the solution to meet the new government’s ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. It is important that the government’s measurement approach can understand the range of ways that economic restriction, exploitation and sabotage that victim-survivors experience at scale across the UK.

              Recent survey results from Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) tell a powerful story that highlights experiences of economic abuse across the UK. The full report will be launched by SEA in March 2025, but their early release of key findings include:

              • Economic abuse is often understood to only be about creating dependency through restriction, but it can take many forms e.g., having a partner or ex-partner steal money, refuse to pay bills, or scare their partner into taking out credit. Early analysis suggests that a wider range of behaviours may continue post-separation than previously thought.
              • The data shines a light on the dangerous situation for young women- an area that SEA and VISION are seeking funding to explore further. 18–24-year-olds experienced more economic abuse than any other age group, for example 12% of this sample had been prevented from having log-in information (e.g. passwords, usernames) to key accounts such as online banking, utilities accounts, emails by a partner or ex-partner compared to 4% of all women.
              • Black, Asian and racially minoritised women in the UK may be more than twice as likely to experience economic abuse from a partner or ex-partner than White women, with women with a Black/African/Caribbean or Black British ethnicity particularly at risk.
              • Disabled women in the UK may be nearly twice as likely to experience economic abuse from a partner or ex-partner as non-disabled women

              The VISION consortium was delighted to financially support SEA’s research, A rapid impact survey to monitor the nature and prevalence of economic abuse in the UK, through our Small Projects Fund in spring 2024. Their full report will be widely shared in 2025, including on the VISION website and through our networks.

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              Migrants’ experiences of violence while in insecure migration status

                Violence is a major public health issue. Moreover, there is evidence that violence is significantly related to social inequality. Existing studies have found links between violence and gender, ethnicity, place of residence and socioeconomic status.

                Although economic globalization impacts trade, goods, and services, the movement of people has been increasingly restricted since the 1990s. The number of people globally who live with insecure migration status is difficult to estimate, but includes people worldwide undertaking irregular journeys and crossing international borders without authorization, people living without the correct immigration documentation, and people in temporary or dependent statuses in destination countries.

                The global movement of people in the context of strict immigration laws and policies places significant numbers of people in insecure migration status worldwide. Insecure status leaves people without recourse to legal, governmental or social protection from violence and abuse.

                This review synthesized qualitative studies that reported how migrants associated physical and physically enforced sexual violence they experienced with their insecure migration status. VISION researchers, Andri Innes, Annie Bunce, Hannah Manzur, and Natalia V. Lewis, generated robust qualitative evidence showing that women experienced sexual violence while in transit or without status in a host state, and that they associated that violence with their insecure migration status. This was the case across the various geographic routes and destination countries.

                They found evidence that women associated intimate partner violence with lacking (legal) access to support because of their insecure migration status. Women connected their unwillingness to leave violent circumstances, and therefore their prolonged or repeated exposure to violence, with a fear of immigration removal produced by their insecure migration status.

                To protect people in insecure migration status from experiencing violence that they associated with their migration status, it’s necessary to ensure that the reporting of violence does not lead to immigration enforcement consequences for the victim.

                To download the paper: Experiences of violence while in insecure migration status: a qualitative evidence synthesis | Globalization and Health | Full Text

                To cite: Innes, A., Bunce, A., Manzur, H. et al. Experiences of violence while in insecure migration status: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Global Health 20, 83 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-024-01085-1

                For further information, please contact Andri at alexandria.innes@city.ac.uk

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                Domestic abuse in cancer care: Improving the identification and support

                  Although few studies have explored people’s experiences of domestic abuse and cancer, we know the two co-occur. The few studies we do have show that cancer can trigger an escalation of abuse. But there are no published domestic abuse interventions in the cancer setting.

                  In an attempt to plug that gap, Sandi Dheensa, University of Bristol researcher, and colleagues, including VISION Deputy Director Estela Capelas Barbosa, have conducted a service evaluation on a domestic abuse intervention for hospital-based cancer professionals. Their study, Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention – European Journal of Oncology Nursing, is the first to evaluate a DA training (and support) intervention for cancer professionals in England.

                  The key findings demonstrate that cancer and DA frequently co-occur, and that training and support intervention of hospital-based cancer staff increased the rate of DA identifications. There is an appetite for DA and cancer training amongst hospital-based cancer staff.

                  The evaluation contributes further evidence of the benefit of hospital-based domestic abuse coordinator roles and contributes new evidence for the feasibility of adapting the role for a specific context.

                  To read the article or download the paper free of charge:

                  Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention – European Journal of Oncology Nursing

                  To cite:

                  Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention. Dheensa, Sandi et al. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, Volume 0, Issue 0, 102724

                  Or for further information, please contact Sandi at sandi.dheensa@bristol.ac.uk

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                  VAWG data dashboard consultation highlights usefulness of tool

                    The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) developed a prototype violence against women and girls (VAWG) data dashboard in 2022. The webpages presented statistics and charts on violence against women and girls in England and Wales, drawing on multiple sources. However, due to reprioritisation at ONS, maintenance of the dashboard stopped and as of April 2024 it was no longer accessible.

                    VISION developed a consultation to ascertain the usefulness of a VAWG data dashboard as a result. The call was open from March to May 2024, and 102 responses were received. Most participants responded in their capacity as individuals (n=61), although 25 stated that they were responding on behalf of an organisation and four on behalf of a group. Some participants both responded as an individual and on behalf of an organisation or group.

                    Consultation participants responded as people from across a variety of roles and sectors. The
                    most commonly cited were working in research or education (n=40) and in policy or planning
                    (n=28), 27 people responded as someone with lived experience and 13 as members of the
                    public. The remainder comprised those in service provision (n=17), a campaign role (n=10) or
                    some other capacity (8).

                    Consultation results

                    Many participants had heard of the data dashboard before the VISION consultation (n=51), although 28 reported that they had not. Of those who had heard of the dashboard before, most had made use of it (n=39).

                    Most participants reported that having a dashboard that brought together data on violence
                    and abuse would help them either ‘somewhat’ (n=12) or ‘a lot’ (n=39).

                    Participants were asked what they found to be useful about the data dashboard:

                    • Data discovery
                    • Finding data and finding it faster
                    • Breakdowns and local profiles
                    • Comparisons
                    • Authoritative context
                    • Source material

                    Participants were asked for their thoughts on the limitations or what was missing from the dashboard:

                    • Wider coverage in relation to topics (health, disability, suicide, law, family courts, policy), types of violence and abuse (homicide, forced marriage, sexual violence), and particular groups (men, perpetrators)
                    • Deeper context in terms of much more nuanced contextual discussion of what the data means, ‘data without context is misleading’
                    • Critical interrogation such as the highlight of methodological limitations
                    • Interactive functionality with more scope for further breakdowns by local authority areas and police forces for example
                    • Improved search function
                    • Positive action such as a ‘section about work being done to support victims/reduce cases’
                    • Human stories meaning to go beyond numbers and to tell the human stories that underpin them

                    Recommendations

                    Through this consultation, approximately 100 people told VISION that a VAWG data dashboard is
                    something that they valued having and wish to have again. These included people with lived
                    experience of violence and abuse, people working in health, justice, specialist and other
                    services, researchers and academics across disciplines, and members of the wider public.

                    A violence and abuse data dashboard is needed because it has:

                    • Symbolic value: indicating that violence against women and girls matters to the
                      Government, and
                    • Practical value: as a functional and easy to use tool facilitating access to high
                      quality data spanning a range of types of violence, groups, areas and years.

                    In April 2024, ONS’ prototype VAWG data dashboard was withdrawn due to reprioritisation of
                    resources within that organisation. Since then, a new Government has come into office with a
                    stated mission to halve violence against women and girls within the decade. How progress towards this commitment is monitored will be essential to its success. General population health and crime surveys, alongside other data sources, will be key and that includes a revitalised, fit for purpose VAWG data dashboard. To instill trust and collective investment in this goal, a public platform for transparent monitoring is needed and the dashboard could be an effective, useful tool.

                    Next steps

                    VISION is a cross-sectoral consortium of academics and government and service partners
                    working with UK data on violence and abuse. We are aware that further development and relaunching of a data dashboard will require a collaborative effort from relevant departments of
                    state, data providers (not least ONS) and external funding. Drawing on our work in this area
                    we aim to coordinate this effort, with three initial objectives:

                    • Resource: Identify partners and funding source(s)
                    • Define: Agree clear definitions to best capture and monitor subgroup and temporal
                      trends in VAWG and violent crime in the population
                    • Design and test a revised violence and abuse data dashboard with people from
                      across sectors

                    To download the report:

                    Consultation: Is there a need for a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) data dashboard

                    Or for further information, please contact Sally at sally.mcmanus@city.ac.uk

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                    Prior homelessness and associations with health and violent victimisation

                      By Dr Natasha Chilman, Research Associate, UKRI Population Health Improvement (PHI-UK), Population Mental Health Consortium, Kings College London

                      In the United Kingdom, we have the highest rate of homelessness compared to other high-income countries. For many people homelessness is a temporary, although often very impactful, experience in their lives. However, there is a paucity of research and data looking at people who are formerly homeless and living in private households (i.e., rented or owned accommodation).

                      This blog describes a new study which fills this gap, conducted by Dr Natasha Chilman from King’s College London and colleagues, including Professor Sally McManus from VISION.

                      The study authors analysed data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys, which is a nationally representative survey of adults living in private households in 2007 and 2014. Out of 13,859 people, 535 people reported previous experience of homelessness.

                      Some of the key findings of the study were:

                      • A staggering 40% of people who formerly experienced homelessness had experienced violence in their homes at some point in their lives, compared to 7% of people who had never been homeless.
                      • A quarter (24%) of people who formerly experienced homelessness reported experience of sexual abuse, compared to less than 5% of people who had never experienced homelessness.
                      • Almost half (45%) of the formerly homeless group were currently experiencing depression or anxiety, compared to just 15% of people who had never experienced homelessness. People who formerly experienced homelessness were also experiencing more severe symptoms of these common mental disorders.
                      • There were strong associations between former homelessness and health conditions, across common mental disorders, physical health conditions, alcohol/substance dependence, and multimorbidities. These associations persisted even after adjusting for a range of potential confounders, including indicators of socio-economic position and smoking.
                      • Adjusting for adverse experiences including violence and abuse attenuated associations between former homelessness and alcohol/substance dependence related health outcomes, but not mental/physical health.

                      The findings from this study highlight the urgent need for long-term integrated healthcare support for people who are formerly homeless to continue after they have secured private housing. There were severe inequalities in experiences of violence and sexual abuse for people who have experienced homelessness, underscoring the importance of both violence and homelessness prevention, and of trauma-informed approaches to support.

                      To read the article or download the paper free of charge:

                      The public health significance of prior homelessness: findings on multimorbidity and mental health from a nationally representative survey | Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences | Cambridge Core

                      To cite:

                      Chilman N, Schofield P, McManus S, Ronaldson A, Stagg A, Das-Munshi J. The public health significance of prior homelessness: findings on multimorbidity and mental health from a nationally representative survey. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. 2024;33:e63. doi:10.1017/S2045796024000659

                      Or for further information, please contact Natasha at natasha.chilman@kcl.ac.uk