Finland Times

 

A number of ethnic minority Roma women face domestic and family violence, as do a proportion of other women in Finland, said a study report, adding that the women have a higher threshold for seeking outside help.

 

Referenssi Oy conducted the study sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, with the goal to ascertain the relationship and domestic violence experienced by Roma women, and to improve services from the point of view of the Roma women, said an official press release on Tuesday.

 

Violence that occurs within a family is often seen as an internal matter in extended family, or the ethnic community, and is not discussed with outsiders, said the report.

 

 Many Roma women find it difficult to avail themselves of public services. For this reason, support and shelter services should be made easy to approach, and access to them should be made easier.

 

According to the study, shelter services are important for Roma women. Those using the services felt that they work well. However, accessing the services was seen to be problematic.

 

One problem seen by the respondents was a weak knowledge of Roma culture, for which reason the women seeking help did not get the support that they needed in all situations.

 

Officials need to be especially active in situations in which a woman is afraid to seek professional help for fear of reactions from her community or violence.

 

To improve the situation, researchers proposed improving the knowledge of the law among Roma women. Researchers also called for the development of peer support models as well as better possibilities for Roma men to deal with domestic violence and to get help for the problem.

 

According to the researchers, education can also prevent violence.

 

The goal of the study was to produce information on how domestic and family violence manifest themselves, the community factors that are linked with it, the need for support and services by victims of violence, and the situation of children who have confronted violence.

 

A total of 17 Roma women who had encountered domestic violence were interviewed for the study.

 

The information was collected through a questionnaire for workers at mother and child homes and shelters, as well as those involved in field work on violence.

 

The study is the first-ever Finnish study on domestic and family violence experienced by Roma women.