Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the ethical and methodological considerations for conducting research on domestic abuse (DA) and sexual violence (SV). It also focuses on issues of victim-blaming responses by professionals and the public in the contexts of DA and SV. The book specifically identifies concerns related to victims’ tonic immobility, or “freeze” responses to sexual violence. It examines the concern of secondary victimisation by women who attempt to access justice for the crimes of domestic abuse and sexual violence perpetrated against them by men. The book provides helpful considerations in balancing the rights of children, alongside support advocacy for mothers, with a greater focus on the accountability of fathers as perpetrators. It describes the good practice responses to DA by the Army Welfare System founded on the Safe and Together Model.