From Despair to Repair - Further Comments
From Despair to Repair...?
Further Comments
Do you have any further comments about your experiences?
The majority of participants had further comments they wished to be included in the research. These ranged in their content from advice they would like to give to others that may be experiencing domestic violence, how they felt, to problems they had encountered with certain services.
Emotions
The majority of the comments made in this section were how the participants felt having been subjected to an abusive relationship. Some commented that they would never want to go through the same experience again; they felt isolated and ashamed of their experiences. Others felt they could not see the end of it.
' I feel very isolated, the experience feels never ending as he has just recently moved nearby again'.
' Every woman reaches her point of no return.... You have to have someone to believe what you are saying. Domestic violence is what you believe it to be'
Advice to others
Some of the participants wished to help people who are currently suffering in an abusive relationship and advice they wish to give varied. The majority however, wished to tell the victim to leave immediately and get help.
' Get out of your property, it doesn't matter when your life is at stake, I wish that I had told people sooner and asked for help'.
' Get to know the man before you agree to start living with him.
Do the opposite to your children, than what you experienced in your childhood'
Service provision
There were some additional comments about support services that some participants felt they needed to reiterate as the main concerns or problems they experienced.
Legal services
' I felt the case was drawn out for court and could have been dealt with more speedily not keep getting adjourned'
'The police need to do something. I can't believe they've not arrested him they have taped phone calls, statements and hospital records'.
'I feel badly let down by the police'.
' I was told about the DVO by a friend but I would have liked their involvement earlier and possibly Victim Support'
Refuges
' I wished I'd known about Refuges before I left, I wouldn't have had to leave my children behind if I had....'
'. ...There needs to be support for women long- term who are leaving the refuge'.
Male victims
'Overall I feel that there is no support for men who are victims of domestic violence, by law I feel that men and women should be treated equally.'
Comments about the interview
The majority of participants felt the interview went okay. Some felt it was relaxed and not as bad as they anticipated. Due to the emotional nature of the subject most participants were concerned that they would get upset when taking part. A number of participants found the experience helpful for them.
' It went much better than I thought. I didn't get upset so I must be coping better.'
'I think it's a good idea to ask people who have been victims what they think'.
'Its been fine, I feel I have to voice my opinions for changes to take place so am only too willing to help even though it triggers deep feelings.'
'The interviewer was supportive and compassionate. She made me comfortable speaking about something I still find difficult to talk about'.
'Quite cathartic. Was nice to talk to someone who knew what they were talking about'.
'Okay, a little painful to remember and recount details'.
Comments about the questionnaire
A couple of participant's felt the questionnaire was confusing, repetitive or found parts of the questionnaire were not appropriate to their experiences. Due to the wide nature of participants we did anticipate some sections would not be appropriate to some participants. These are issues that would need to be considered if a similar study was replicated.