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Background: ‘Violence in the Lives of Homeless Women’ is a research about the experience of homeless women who suffered violence. The study was commissioned by YMCA and was carried out by Outlook Coop. The main researchers in this study were Dr Lara Bezzina and Mr. Holger Suarez., Research Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore in-depth the experiences of present or former homeless women who suffered violence. The study has produced a number of recommendations to police-makers. Moreover, a Surviving Tool Kit and a Homelessness & Traumatic Stress Training Package has been developed based on the findings of this research., Definitions: Domestic Violence - According to Istanbul Convention, ‘domestic violence’ refers to: ‘all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim’ (Article 3b). Homelessness - In order to define homelessness in an operational way, The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) has identified three domains which constitute a ‘home’, the absence of which can be taken to delineate homelessness. ‘Having a home can be understood as: having an adequate dwelling (or space) over which a person and his/her family can exercise exclusive possession (physical domain); being able to maintain privacy and enjoy relations (social domain) and having legal title to occupation (legal domain)’. Ethos, European Typology of Homelessness and housing exclusion, FEANTSA (p. 1)., Design: This study adopted a qualitative research design and the data collection strategy used included ten qualitative interviews with survivors. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed; the transcripts were coded using the methods employed in Grounded Theory., Results: Various issues have emerged and these include: • The influence of the family of origin and the long-lasting negative effects of inter-generational abuse; • Children: their protection, alienation and the painful separation from children; • Mental health problems and disability; • Experiences of homelessness, housing instability and issues with social housing; • The experience within the shelters and services and support outside the shelter; • The judiciary and helping professionals; • Trauma and resilience; • Evidence seems to suggest that while support exists for survivors, there are still gaps in services which need to be addressed in order to ensure that they are able to get back on their feet as soon as possible. As is evident from the results of this study, services need to take into account the multiple aspects of the survivor’s life, including physical and mental health, child support, temporary shelters, long-term housing, employment, education, social benefits, social networks, protection and justice., Limitations: The participants in this qualitative research are not representative of the whole population of survivors, thus generalisations must be cautionary. Furthermore, no participants could be identified in Gozo or within asylum seekers’ accommodation centres for this research study., peer-reviewed

BACKGROUND: This research project, carried out by the Department of Gender Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta, is part of a national project entitled ‘Full Cooperation Zero Violence’ and is cofunded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union. The project is being managed by the Human Rights and Integration Directorate within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality., RESEARCH PURPOSE: This research attempts to identify and explore the barriers being faced by survivors of gender-based violence against women in Malta and Gozo when seeking help at the various state and voluntary services as seen from their perspective, as well as those faced by professionals when delivering a service to the survivors as seen from the professionals’ perspective., DEFINITIONS: The two central concepts in this study were ‘Violence against Women’ (VAW) and ‘Gender-Based Violence’ (GBV). The study used, and was informed by, the definitions provided by the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also referred as the Istanbul Convention. This Convention defines “violence against women” as: ‘a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women and shall mean all acts of gender‐based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life;’ (Article 3a). Moreover, “gender-based violence against women” is defined as: ‘violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately’. (Article 3d)., DESIGN: This study adopted a qualitative research design and the data collection strategy used included 16 qualitative interviews and six focus groups with both survivors and professionals. A total of 50 participants took part in the study - 23 survivors and 27 professionals. The interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed; the transcripts were subjected to rigorous coding following the Constant Comparative Method. A strict adherence to the principles of research ethics was crucial given that participants included vulnerable persons. The credibility and trustworthiness of the research was ascertained mainly through a respondent validation process, data and observer triangulation and reflexivity., peer-reviewed