LIT 9.1- Dunn 2005 Victims and Survivors of sexual violence

Question 1

How were woman victims of battering were portrayed (70’s) Dunn

Answer 1

Early Portrayals of Battered Women:
○Emphasized victimhood, often portraying women as passive, helpless, and trapped in abusive relationships due to fear, guilt, and societal pressures.
○Emotionality played a key role in explaining women’s decisions to stay, with authors like Martin and Walker focusing on emotions like fear, guilt, and even love as primary motivators

Question 2

What is the purpose of ‘victim’ framing in woman battery (Dunn)

Answer 2

To absolve women of responsibility for staying in abusive relationships by highlighting their lack of agency and attributing their actions to overwhelming emotions.

To evoke sympathy from the public by constructing an image of innocent, suffering women in need of protection and assistance

Question 3

What are the critiques on victim framing (context women battery, Dunn)

Answer 3

○Denies Women Agency: Feminist scholars like Barry criticized this framing for portraying women as passive and lacking agency, which reinforced their subordinate position.

○Creates a False Dichotomy: Critics argued that the victim vs. agent dichotomy ignored the complex realities of women’s experiences, which often involve both vulnerability and strength, passivity, and resistance.

Question 4

Where did the survivor identity originate from? (Women Victimhood, Dunn)

Answer 4

Driven by feminist critiques of the “victim” framing and a broader societal shift towards recognizing women’s strength and agency.

Authors like Kelly, Hoff, and Gondolf and Fisher advocated for the “survivor” identity, highlighting women’s rationality, coping mechanisms, and active strategies for navigating their challenging situations.

The “survivor” framing portrays women as active agents, making difficult choices and taking steps to protect themselves and their children

Question 5

What are the adventages of Survivor Framing (Dunn, Woman Victimhood)

Answer 5

Reframes “Staying”: Explains women’s decisions to remain in abusive relationships as a complex process involving strategy and survival, rather than helplessness.

Counters Stigma: The term “survivor” carries connotations of resilience, strength, and agency, mitigating the negative associations of victimhood.

Empowerment: By emphasizing women’s strength and capacity for action, the “survivor” identity seeks to empower women and support their self-determination

Question 6

What are the consequences of the shift from Victim to Survivor framing (Dunn, Woman Victimhood)

Answer 6

Potential Consequences of the Shift:
○Risk of Obscuring Structural Inequalities: By focusing on individual agency, the “survivor” framing may downplay the role of societal structures and power imbalances that contribute to women’s vulnerability.

○Shifting Responsibility: While empowering, there’s a danger of shifting responsibility solely onto women and away from the need for systemic change to address the root causes of domestic violence