By Mary Wakeham.

This study adopts a feminist methodology to explore the coexistence of animal abuse and domestic abuse. This study builds on the growing body of research in this area that to date has largely been situated in the US, Canada and Australia to provide new knowledge. There were three phases of data collection in this research which included a national online survey, semi-structured interviews with victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse and interviews with professionals.

The research findings provide compelling evidence that animal abuse is a strategy of coercive control and an act of animal cruelty. The oppression of women, children and animals are intertwined in patriarchal systems, and nowhere is this interconnection more apparent than in the co-occurrence of animal abuse and domestic violence and abuse. A human-centric approach dominates definitions and the prevailing public story about domestic violence and abuse across society. This conceptualisation focuses on the human victim-survivor in isolation but undermines the status of the animal and the importance of the animal in the dynamics of abuse. We need to extend our construction of domestic violence and abuse to include animals as victim-survivors. Animals are the silent victim- survivors of domestic violence and abuse.

The oppression of animals is compounded by the dominant status of animals in society as ‘less important’ than human beings and ‘property’ that is ‘owned’ by humans. This conceptualisation of animals is underpinned by animal welfare legislation in the UK that provides a platform for perpetrators of domestic abuse who abuse animals to justify and continue the abuse of animals often with little consequence or challenge. This research highlights the many parallels between the abuse of animals and people in the context of domestic abuse and the implications of the abuse for all victim-survivors – humans and animals.

Bristol, UK: University of Bristol, 2021. 261p.

Edited by Sandra J.T.M. Evers, Catrien Notermans and Erik van Ommering.

“Children should be seen, and not heard. The above maxim, though representing a Victorian value, was commonly pronounced in family homes up until a half century ago. It is based on the principle that a well-behaved child is a child who does not bother adults or disrupt their conversations. While such approaches have evolved considerably since then, in mainstream social science theory, children’s voices usually are not heard. Wallowing as it were in a phase of innocence, immaturity and dependence on adult care and protection, children continue to be largely deemed unfit as sources of scientific inquiry.”

Leiden. Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

By Rachel Money-Howes.

Exploring the Politics of the Personal in the Age of Digital Media. This book examines the nature, use and scope of online spaces for anti-rape activism, offering a critical commentary on its limitations and potentials.

Emerald Publishing (2020) 185 pages.

Edited by Sara Polak and Daniel Trottier

.History, Affect, and Effects of Online Vitriol. “Trolls for Trump', virtual rape, fake news - social media discourse, including forms of virtual and real violence, has become a formidable, yet elusive, political force. What characterizes online vitriol? How do we understand the narratives generated, and also address their real-world - even life-and-death - impact? How can hatred, bullying, and dehumanization on social media platforms be addressed and countered in a post-truth world? This book unpicks discourses, metaphors, media dynamics, and framing on social media, to begin to answer these questions. Written for and by cultural and media studies scholars, journalists, political philosophers, digital communication professionals, activists and advocates, this book makes the connections between theoretical approaches from cultural and media studies and practical challenges and experiences 'from the field', providing insight into a rough media landscape.”

Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2020. 267p.

Edited by Nicole Westmarland and Geetanjali Gangoli.

“The book gives an overview of the socio-legal and political approaches taken in relation to rape across nine countries worldwide. It is written at a time in which many governments have begun to take rape more seriously than in the past and have started to implement wide-ranging reforms.This is therefore an ideal time to describe what that range of reforms has been, and to assess the degree to which they have been successful.”

Policy Press (2011) 249 pages.

By N. N. Koster

t seems that repeat crime victims are less likely to offer their cooperation to the police than victims who were victimized only once. This dissertation seeks to understand why this may be the case and examines what crime victims value in their contact with the police. The findings reveal that crime victims are not only interested in a fair treatment, but also in investigative activities that the police may perform to solve their case. Both are important to them, because it makes them feel that they and their case are being taken seriously. Evaluations of the police response have important consequences for both perceived police legitimacy and willingness to cooperate with the police. Negative evaluations of the police response, particularly concerning a lack of investigation activities, could have detrimental effects. This applies especially to victims of violent crimes that know their offender. As a consequence, some of them may not only become reluctant to cooperate with the police, but also develop feelings of vigilantism. To prevent repeat crime victims from evading the criminal justice system it is, therefore, of utmost importance that the police avoids negative evaluations as much as possible.

Leiden: Leiden University, 2018. 205p.

Making Up Resilient Survivors. By William McGowan. This book examines the survivors of political violence and terrorism, considering both how they have responded and how they have been responded to following critical incidents. As this work demonstrates, survivors of comparatively rare and spectacular violence hold a mirror up to society’s normative assumptions around trauma, recovery, and resilience. Drawing on two years of observational field research with a British NGO who work with victims and former perpetrators of PVT, this book explores contested notions of ‘resilience’ and what it might mean for those negotiating the aftermaths of violence. Examining knowledge about resilience from a multitude of sources, including security policy, media, academic literature, and the survivors themselves, this book contends that in order to make empirical sense of resilience we must reckon with both its discursive and practical manifestations. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, victimology, criminal justice, and all those interested in the stories of survivors. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. 274p.

Towards a comprehensive policy. By Sylvia Walby, Philippa Olive, Jude Towers, Brian Francis, Sofia Strid, Andrea Krizsán, Emanuela Lombardo, Corinne May-Chahal, Suzanne Franzway, David Sugarman, Bina Agarwal and Jo Armstrong. “The selection of the examples of good and promising practice in this book is guided by a theory of the causes of rape. The causal pathways that lead to rape involve many of society’s institutions. These pathways are embedded in the state and public services, including the criminal justice system and healthcare; culture, media and education; in other forms and contexts of violence; and in the economy. Stopping rape requires the effective mobilisation of all of these actors and institutions.” Policy Press (2015) 322p.