ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 considers the situation of the person subject to a pattern of domestic and family violence (DFV), especially in relation to the possibilities for, and constraints on, resistant action. After examining in Chapter 4 how perpetrators of DFV enact violence in private spaces along with the social and family structures and expectations that allow for this continuation of violence across time and space, this chapter focuses on the victims’ experiences of and responses to DFV. While acknowledging that victimhood is socially constructed and that every experience of DFV is unique, this chapter uses the construct of rights in order to consider the position of the person experiencing such violence. Features of vulnerability within family spaces, such as developmental stage, disability, and family role and status are examined. These features are considered in relation to broader social structures and power relations. The social construction of victimhood is raised and narratives surrounding passivity and helplessness interrogated. With respect to the more proximal experience of victimisation, and with reference to qualitative research, the chapter then considers the person weighing up possibilities for action within their predicament. Access to resources and perceived social responses are factors here. Finally, the chapter briefly reviews implications for service provision as it anticipates this focus in subsequent chapters.
