From silence to recognition: Swedish social services and the handling of honor-based violence

ABSTRACT

Societal norms and values along with laws and regulations strongly influence social work, as do megatrends as globalisation and migration. International agreements on human rights with special focus on violence against women have drawn attention to domestic violence, including honor-based violence (HBV). The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that affect social workers’ ability to work within the area of HBV and their experiences of their current work situation. Based on a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with Swedish social workers, the study shows that HBV is not a new phenomenon in social work, but that unfamiliarity and a lack of legitimacy have made it difficult for social workers to deal with the issue. Inspired by recognition theory, a picture emerges of a profession with low mandates and low recognition that lacks resources regarding education, guidelines and a common view on how HBV should be identified and handled, both within the social workers’ own organisation and in other authorities. The dynamics of HBV and approaches to the issue require a present state and legislative support. Social workers also need support from researchers in the field to develop effective interventions in their practical social work with HBV.

ABSTRAKT

Samhälleliga normer och värderingar utgör tillsammans med lagar och förordningar en stark påverkansfaktor på socialt arbete. Likaså påverkar megatrender såsom globalisering och migration det sociala arbetets innehåll. Internationella överenskommelser kring mänskliga rättigheter med särskilt fokus på våld mot kvinnor har synliggjort våld i hemmet, där även hedersbaserat våld (HBV) inkluderas. Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera de faktorer som påverkar socialarbetarnas förmåga att arbeta inom området HBV, samt att belysa erfarenheter av deras nuvarande arbetssituation. Baserat på en kvalitativ strategi där djupintervjuer med svenska socialarbetare ingår, visar studien att HBV inte är ett nytt fenomen i socialt arbete, men att okunnighet och brist på legitimitet har gjort det svårt för socialarbetare att hantera frågan. Med inspiration från erkännande-teori framträder en bild av ett yrke med låga mandat och lågt erkännande. Det saknas resurser avseende utbildning, riktlinjer samt en gemensam syn på hur HBV ska identifieras och hanteras, såväl inom socialarbetarnas egen organisation som i samverkan med andra myndigheter. Dynamiken kring HBV fordrar ett gemensamt förhållningssätt från myndigheters sida, vilket kräver en närvarande stat som tillhandahåller ett lagstiftande stöd. Socialarbetare behöver också stöd från forskare för att utveckla effektiva insatser som är användbara i det praktiska sociala arbetet med HBV.

KEYWORDS:

• Honor-based violence
• professional misrecognition
• qualitative research
• social work

NYCKELORD:

• hedersbaserat våld
• professionellt icke-erkännande
• kvalitativ forskning
• socialt arbete

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Helén Olsson

Helén Olsson is Senior Lecturer in Social Work and holds a PhD in Health Science from Karlstad University, Sweden. She has more than twenty years’ experience of operational social work in social services. Her research focuses on violence, victim support and risk assessment. Another area of interest is evidence-based practice and implementation processes and their importance to the social professionals in terms of work environment, job satisfaction and health. E-post: [email protected].

Ann Bergman

Ann Bergman is Professor in Working Life Science at Karlstad University, Sweden. Her research lies within the field of gender, work and family, segregation and inequality, working conditions and wellbeing, and futures studies. Bergman has been involved in several national and international research projects in the field of critical working life studies. Currently she is doing research on the digitalisation of work, working conditions, work–life boundaries and the future of work. In memoriam: Ann Bergman, 1963–2020: The recent departure of co-author Ann Bergman has left us devastated, and she is sorely missed. Already early in the collaboration with Ann it became clear that a cross-disciplinary approach should be taken to studying social workers’ working conditions and possibilities to perform quality work. I want to thank Ann for her lucidity, commitment, and the valuable contributions to understanding working life she was always ready to make.