ABSTRACT
There have been several studies in the UK examining South Asian women’s experiences of domestic violence (see Mama 1989; Choudry 1996; Rai and Thiara 1997; Adams 1998; Chantler et al. 2001; Batsleer et al. 2002; Minhas et al. 2002; CSPR 2004; Gill 2004). These studies have highlighted many of the main issues affecting women from South Asian communities who experience domestic violence. First, a common theme emerging from the literature is the impact of cultural practices on the lives of South Asian female victims of domestic violence, particularly the role of honour on women’s ability to disclose violence. The impact of honour on South Asian female victims of domestic violence is more complex than initially envisaged by culturist perspectives. It is clear that not all South Asian women are ‘equally affected by honour’ (Minhas et al. 2002: 56) and, more importantly, not all women from the South Asian subgroups are equally affected.1
Second, existing studies have tended to explore the experiences of women who have either temporarily or permanently left their abusers. The voices of women who make no real attempt to leave, or have no intentions of leaving perpetrators, are largely absent from current discourse. Yet the vulnerability of this cohort of women suggests that there is urgency in developing an understanding of their needs. This chapter is concerned with developing an understanding of the
experiences of domestic violence from a subgroup of Pakistani communities, the Mirpuri community. The Pakistani Muslim Mirpuri community in the United Kingdom originates from the Azad Kashmir2 region of Pakistan, near and around the district of Mirpur (Shaw 1988; Ballard 1991). Peoples of this area are normally referred to as ‘Mirpuris’ (Shaw 1988).3 This chapter is based on the first stage of doctoral research (Latif forthcoming) and explores the nature and dynamics of domestic violence in the Mirpuri community.
The study draws on the experiences of five Mirpuri women living in violent relationships and examines the impact of domestic violence on their lives.
