Feminist community work in preventing violence against women: a case study of addressing intimate partner violence in Finland

Figures & data

Table 1. Community work activities

Community work activities
Activities directed at	Places	Action	The aim of the activity
The general public	- Free time places (e.g. open-air dance floor) - Public places (e.g. shopping centres, library) - Schools - Prison - Media	- The master of love quiz - Deliver fliers - Give open lectures - Recruit volunteers - self-organize art- and music-based events and exhibitions (e.g. Story Shoe Exhibition, Art Against Violence Festival, dance productions, drama) - Participate in public events (e.g. a fair concerning social and health issues, panel discussion in local Jazz event, senior event) - Participate in annual events (e.g. Women’s day, pop-up restaurant) - Raise awareness of violence and project activities in local and regional media (newspapers, radio, social media)	- Raise the public’s awareness of violence in close relationships - Change the general attitude of citizens towards violence in close relationships - Create possibilities for mutual encounters with the community workers - Case management
Key professionals working with women and families	- Social and health care services (e.g. family counselling and child health centres, early childhood education, school nurses, social work with substance abusers, social duty) - Victim support Finland - Parish	- Give lectures to practitioners - Train practitioners to recognize violence and to intervene in it - Share and exchange expert knowledge of violence against women	- Create possibilities and lower the barriers to build up partnerships - Map the situation on interventions against violence in the region
Decision makers	- Meetings with local and regional officials - Trade union	- Lobby decision makers	- Add knowledge about standing up to violence: co-operation and support - Raise administrative recognition of and support for violence work
Women who identify themselves as victims of violence	- Low-threshold Welfare café - Art- and action-based groups (e.g. dance therapy) - Peer support group - Virtual Safety House	- Make announcements about the groups in social media and newspapers - Peer support - Art- and action-based methods - Women’s day event at the mall - Flea market for small children’s mothers - Monthly chat evenings in Virtual Safety House	- Possibility to share personal experiences - Consider women’s special needs in violence intervention - Start empowering process - Build safety environment and space to contact and get help

Photo 1. Story shoe exhibition.

Photo 2. Welfare café for women.

Figure 1. Dimensions of feminist community work in preventing violence against women.