親密關係暴力：臺灣女性之受暴與求助經驗

Intimate Partner Violence: Taiwanese Women's Experience of Abuse and Help-Seeking

本文旨在探究台灣女性在親密關係中的受暴與求助經驗，進而對暴力防治工作提出建議。研究資料源自北部及中部進行兩場焦點團體訪談，共計八名研究參與者。本研究結果有三，分別為：首先，女性難以察覺精神（或語言）暴力，而且將以個人臉面喪失和宗教之因果論說明暴力問題。此外，即使女性的個人資本較男性高，女性未藉此抵制男性的不當對待，甚至視自己為男性或夫家的財產，將暴力問題合理化。其次，有關求助經驗方面，部分女性有尋求警察、社工的經驗，能否取得有效的介入取決於專業人員對事件的看法及態度，其中家暴法具相當程度的影響力。部分女性曾求助娘家家人，從中顯現出不同世代對問題介入的程度有所差異，例如女性不易自父母取得正向支持，甚至要求隱忍；但是手足能給予經濟或情緒支持。最末，部分女性認為能否脫離暴力需倚重個人意願，但是政府單位可提供經濟安全或情緒支持，穩定女性離開暴力環境後的生活。本文最末針對暴力防治之教育與宣導工作、專業人員應具備的知能及服務提供，以及女性脫離暴力後的生活輔導此三方面提出建議。

This paper aims at exploring how Taiwanese women are affected by intimate partner violence and how they seek help, which will prove useful in proposing recommendations for the prevention of violence. Two focus group interviews were conducted respectively in the northern and central regions of Taiwan with a total of eight women as participants of this study, out of which three main findings were identified. Firstly, it was found that women are not always aware of psychological (or verbal) abuse and typically interpret issues of abuse in terms of loss of personal face or by resorting to religious theories of karma. Even in circumstances where women's personal assets are of higher value than that of their male counterparts, they do not utilize this advantage to resist the maltreatment perpetrated by men; at times women even perceive themselves as the property of their husbands or their families and thus rationalize domestic violence and abuse. Secondly, the study probed into women's help-seeking experiences; some approached law enforcement personnel whilst others turned to social workers for assistance. Whether or not these professionals were able to exercise effective intervention depended on their stance and attitude regarding the issue of abuse, two aspects greatly influenced by relevant laws and regulations on domestic violence prevention. Some of the subjects interviewed in this study turned to their families of origin for assistance, hence highlighting the generation gap in attitudes towards intervention on abuse-related issues. Indeed, few women obtained the positive support of their parents; some were even requested to endure in silence. Siblings, however, were better able to provide financial and even emotional support. Lastly, a portion of women believe personal will and determination to be of fundamental importance in liberating oneself from violence and abuse, but that government administrations also play crucial roles in the provision of financial security and emotional support, thus ensuring a stable life for women freed from the chains of domestic violence. This paper concludes by proposing suggestions in three major dimensions: increasing public awareness and improving education on violence prevention, ensuring that professionals are equipped with expert knowledge and able to provide necessary services, and providing women with access to lifestyle counseling following their escape from abuse and domestic violence.