How does domestic violence stigma manifest in women’s lives in Afghanistan? A study of survivors’ lived experiences of help-seeking across three provinces.

ABSTRACT

Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, with an estimated 46% women reporting lifetime violence. Survivors of domestic violence experience significant stigma from their families and communities, often in the form of blame, shame, gossip, and dismissal. While the manifestations of stigma are often the same across cultural settings, the drivers may be different. We conducted sixty semi-structured interviews with survivors of domestic violence in three provinces of Afghanistan. Data were analysed using thematic network analysis. Our analysis highlights stigma as a structural phenomenon in Afghanistan underpinned by mutually reinforcing structural elements (including community, government authorities, marital and natal families, other survivors and the self). In a country with a deeply patriarchal social structure, the main manifestation of stigma was the silencing of survivors of violence, as domestic violence was considered a private affair. Notions of honour were paramount in fuelling stigma against survivors of violence, as any action to report or leave violent relationships was considered dishonourable. Our findings have implications for the design of services to help survivors of violence seek help for the violence they experience, especially at a time when such services are increasingly constricted for women in Afghanistan.

KEYWORDS:

• Domestic violence
• stigma
• Afghanistan
• women
• survivors

Acknowledgements

We would like to sincerely thank our project partner in Afghanistan – the Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA) – without which this study would not have been possible. The current environment is not easy for organisations committed to assisting women in Afghanistan, and we have profound respect for the ongoing efforts of HAWCA at this challenging time. RM and JM conceptualised the paper. RM completed the qualitative analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. LS collected the data. DD is the PI on the project and responsible for the funding. All authors reviewed the manuscript and agreed on the final submitted version.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the NIHR (17/63/47) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Salaries for RM and JM are funded through a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship held by JM for the EVE Project (Evidence for Violence Prevention in the Extreme) (MR/SO33629/1).