The Image of Taiwanese Domestic Violence and Anti-Violence Strategies: from the Perspective of “A Web in the Partriarchal Clan System”

• Main Authors: Shih-Mei Tai, 戴世玫
• Other Authors: Hou-Sheng Chan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9ej6eg

博士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 社會政策與社會工作學系 === 102 === Domestic violence against women is a phenomenon present in all countries worldwide. In 1998, Taiwan passed the Family Violence Prevention Act, becoming the first country in Asia to legislate against domestic violence. After service models from Europe and the United States were introduced into Taiwan, relevant measures for preventing domestic violence have been developed. Under circumstances when eastern society is influenced by western cultures, the Power and Control Wheel developed in the United State is often used in social work to explain the dynamics by which women are subjected to domestic violence. However, alternative (non-Western) discussions on Taiwanese domestic violence have been scant. This study conducted a literature review and adopted the concept of A Web in the Patriarchal Clan System, proposed by Japanese-American scholar Mieko Yoshihama, which takes into consideration an Asian sociocultural context, as a foundation to study domestic violence against women. This study examined Taiwanese domestic violence and relevant antiviolence strategies. The objectives of this study were: (a) to explore the phenomenon and implications of the influence that patriarchal and clan systems have on female victims of domestic violence based on social workers’ experiences of serving these victims; (b) produce an image of Taiwanese domestic violence based on Taiwan’s social context and the experience of local female victims; (c) identify strategies that should be enhanced for serving female victims by examining Taiwan’s social context and the experience of local female victims of domestic violence; and (d) propose suggestions for establishing comprehensive policies and antiviolence strategies in Taiwan’s future domestic violence prevention system for serving female victims of domestic violence. A qualitative approach was employed in conjunction with grounded theory to revise the perspective of A Web in the Patriarchal Clan System and discuss domestic violence in Taiwan. The researcher conducted an interview with the creator of the Web in the Patriarchal Clan System perspective, Mieko Yoshihama, at the University of Michigan. Snowball sampling was used to recruit female victims of domestic violence, as well as social workers who have directly or indirectly served the victims, in the Taipei Metro Area. A total of 24 participants were recruited to attend five focus group sessions. The participants stated that although the experiences of female victims were similar to that proposed by the Web in the Patriarchal Clan System, certain differences did exist. Data analysis results indicated that domestic violence against women in Taiwan is no longer a matter that is solely between the victim and the offender. It is characterized by the following traits: (a) Domestic violence is an ever-changing array of violence that is centered on the public’s justifying of violence, where children are not only involved but are being used and forced to take sides. (b) The offender often uses various compound tactics, which create a different form of domestic violence than that experienced by Japanese women, such as credit deprivation, harassment, and public pressure. (c) In addition to domestic violence, female victims are also subjected to the influence of sociocultural contexts, including their origins and the husbands’ families, as well as stress caused by patriarchy, public opinion, and even traditional religion beliefs and customs. (d) Traditional patriarchal concepts are disseminated through public opinion in communities and the media, which further reinforces a culture that rationalizes violence. (e) Because of victimization and stress, female victims of domestic violence in Taiwan are frequently tormented by the values of autonomy and tolerance. This, in combination with traditional gender roles and the responsibility of being the family caregiver, results in the tendency among female victims of domestic abuse in Taiwan to prioritize keeping the integrity of their husbands’ families. Based on the “array of violence” developed in this study, the researchers provide recommendations pertaining to policy system and operational dimensions for formulating domestic violence prevention measures in Taiwan. In addition, relevant individuals should place greater emphasis on the strategies of domestic violence prevention, such as investing in preventative service in communities, ensuring accessibility to medical and health services, offering community-involved rescue mechanisms, training relevant professionals, and developing long-term living and employment support for victims of domestic abuse. By enhancing these strategies, the connection between the offender’s abusive actions and environmental factors can be severed, public opinion can be transformed into positive support, and the patriarchal influence on women in households and workplace can be mitigated. Furthermore, support provided by woman’s family should be enhanced, and the husband’s family’s indifference toward violent behavior should be deterred, thereby crippling the core justifying of violence and liberating female victims from domestic violence.