How to Create Safety for Battered Women? Conclusions from Several Decades of Research and Practice in Europe

A two-year project on ‘A Comparative Analysis of Community-Focused Initiatives Aimed at Supporting Women, Children and Young People who have been the Focus of Violence, Exploitation or Trafficking in Three Regions of the United Kingdom, Germany and Romania’ which was funded by the Daphne programme, was carried out by Newman University College in Birmingham/England together with the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Berlin/Germany and Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu/Romania. Service users, in particular, and policy-makers and professional helpers were asked about their experiences with the care structures in their respective countries. The results show that even after many decades of providing professional support for women in violent relationships services are still frequently unable to help the victims to find a ‘safe place’ which could allow them to escape from the violence. The article collates the results of the Daphne project and recent international research on the subject of trauma and domestic violence, reflects on the causes of this gap in care provision and suggests how professional approaches to solving this dilemma could be improved.