Feminist community work in preventing violence against women: a case study of addressing intimate partner violence in Finland

Abstract

This study focuses on feminist community work in addressing violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence. With reference to a case study conducted in Finland on intimate partner violence we ask, (1) What are the central features of feminist community work in addressing violence against women and (2) What guides feminist community work in preventing the violence? The analysis brings forth three aspects of feminist community work that are crucial in preventing violence against women: (1) gaining a diverse understanding of female victims and their experiences, (2) using different community-based methods and spaces to approach the issue, and (3) forming partnerships with agents and agencies. Our findings show that increasing people’s awareness of violence through feminist community work may prevent intimate partner violence and bring best results when guided by a perspective on gender as a social construct and by an intersectional and holistic approach to violence.