Understanding family abuse: An intersectional approach to prevention and addressing family abuse perpetrators

This article provides an original contribution to understanding the motives for and perpetration patterns of family abuse that affects a range of minoritized communities, such as those minoritized on the basis of race, sexuality or transgender identity, and to contribute to debates around prevention. Family abuse against people from racially and/or sexually minoritized (LGBTQ+) communities does not occur within a vacuum: negative and discriminatory societal attitudes, norms and behaviors towards these groups ultimately influence and, to some degree, justify and condone family abuse. This can also lead to the issue being invisible, neglected or misrepresented in the public domain. Compounding these risk factors are the intersecting identities racially minoritized and/or LGBTQ+ people also have relating to gender, ethnicity, disability, culture, mental health issues, citizenship, age, economic status, geographical isolation and other identity-based and situational factors that result in a range of specific barriers to safety. Awareness of these factors and understanding of the effects of these intersections is critical when undertaking risk assessments, managing safety and considering interventions for perpetrators of family abuse. In practice, this means understanding the compounding effects that multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage have on survivors whilst also understanding the individual, community and societal push-pull factors that shape the behaviours of perpetrators. Importantly, no matter which group or community they belong to, each survivor’s experience of violence and abuse is unique, requiring risk to be carefully assessed on an individual basis.