Tensions in the Dominant Domestic Violence Discourse and the High Risk Case Coordination Protocol

Abstract

The feminist qualitative research undergirding this thesis focuses on the Nova Scotia high risk case coordination program, a protocol used to flag and coordinate woman abuse cases where there is a risk of serious injury or lethality. The research involved interviews with twenty-nine abused women in the high risk protocol, as well as focus groups with service providers implementing the protocol, including police, victim services, transition houses, men’s intervention programs, corrections and child welfare.The data collected through this research illuminated three broad themes regarding societal responses to woman abuse: the need to rethink the approach to the abuser, the need to rethink the approach to the victim, and the need to avoid one-size-fits-all solutions.The research also highlighted tensions and contradictions within the dominant domestic violence discourse. This thesis attempts to move beyond the dichotomous “either/or” thinking reflected in many of the current policies and programs relating to woman abuse.