Risk factors for femicide

Running Head : FEMICIDE RISK

Femicide Risk Factors and Preventive Measures

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Femicide Risk Factors and Preventive Measures

The research goals of Campbell , et al (2003 ) were to to specify the risk factors for intimate partner femicide among women in violent relationships with the aim of preventing this form of mortality (p 1090

The Campbell , et al (2003 ) study Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships : Results from a Multisite Case Control Study ' was not the first to look at the risk factors involved in femicide however

br it is one of the few studies of intimate partner femicide to include a control population and , [ .] the first to examine the connection between relationship variables and specific demographic characteristics of victims and perpetrators (p . 1094

Campbell , et al (2003 ) were careful to include a control group and a range of variables from which relevant information was revealed . They were also upfront with several of the study 's limitations which included the fact that some of the women who were excluded from [the] analysis because of no record of previous physical violence were in fact being abused ' and that the relatively large proportion of `don 't know responses from proxies regarding certain hypothesized risk factors [ .were treated .] as representing absence of the `exposure ' [which may have] produced conservative biases (p . 1095

While shortcomings exist , and not all respondents may have revealed accurate data , certainly the results of Campbell , et al 's work is useful . Not only did many of their results mirror those of others work , several new facts were brought to light

Two particulars stood out at the beginning of this study . First , an inordinately high

percentage (67 -80 ' of the women who were murdered had experienced prior instances of

physical abuse (Campbell , et al , 2003 ,

. 1090 . Obviously , an escalation of violence isn 't

surprising however , that so many women who had been injured and who presumably sought

medical attention were not more carefully assisted or monitored was alarming (Campbell , et al

2003 ,

. 1090

The second early surprise was the language limitation set : only English- or Spanish-speaking persons were included . Although no numbers were given to address how many proxies and /or women this eliminated , it seems a shortcoming that language was the sole basis for some exclusions

The two risk factors I found most staggering were the relationship between the abuser 's lack of employment ' and increased instances of intimate partner femicide , and that while an abuser 's use of illicit drugs were strongly associated with intimate partner femicide , [ .] the abuser 's excessive use of alcohol was not (Campbell , et al , 2003 br

. 1091

The idea that something as simple as a job opportunity might save a woman 's life drastically changes the way I will view the unemployment rate in the future . It also makes little sense that excessive use of alcohol was not a factor as it seems that many acts of violence (domestic and otherwise ) often come...