DOMESTIC AND DATING VIOLENCE AGAINST LBT WOMEN IN THE EU
EDITED BY
GIACOMO VIGGIANI
Bleeding Love: Raising Awareness on Domestic and Dating Violence Against Lesbians and Transwomen in the European Union
Project coordinator: Giacomo Viggiani
Scientific Leader: Susanna Pozzolo
Editor: Giacomo Viggiani
Authors: Anna Lorenzetti, Arianna Petilli, Bea Sándor, Giacomo Viggiani, Jasna Magić, Jelena Postic, Katalin Ráhel Turai, Kenneth Mills, Lora Novachkova, Maria Federica Moscati, Marta Ramos, Mia Gonan, Michaël Veltens, Monika Pisankaneva, Telmo Fernandes, and Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius.
Proofreading: Ian Pinchen
Cover Design: Flavia Pellegrinelli
ISBN: 978-88-909905-1-9
The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not be possible without the support of the DG Justice of the EU Commission under the specific programme “Daphne 2007-2013” and the project Bleeding Love: Raising Awareness on Domestic and Dating Violence Against Lesbians and Transwomen in the European Union.
The most heartfelt thanks go to the survivors of domestic and dating violence, law enforcement agencies, health and legal professionals who kindly agreed to share their much valued and intense experiences. Thanks and appreciation go to all the partners, volunteers and participants in the project Bleeding Love: Anna Lorenzetti, Beáta Judit Sándor, Benedetta Ciampa, Elena Lazzari, Elisabetta Canevini, Emanuela Bonini, Ezia Maccora, Fabio Roia, Fabrizia Bracaglia, Francesca Di Muzio, Gennaro Mastrangelo, Giovanna Camertoni, Ian Pinchen, Jana Lozanoska, Jelena Poštic, Jo Harvey Barringer, Katalin Ráhel Turai, Katrien Vanleirberghe, Kenneth Mills, Laura Cocucci, Liliana Marcantonio, Lisa Parrini, Lora Novachkova, Maria Federica Moscati, Maria Grazia Sangalli, Marko Jurcic, Marta Ramos, Michael Veltens, Michele De Chirico, Michelina Stefania, Monika Pisankeva, Nadia Iannella, Paola Parolari, Paola Biondi, Patrizia Fiore, Piergiorgio Masi, Rossella Liscio, Rossella Santi, Saverio Regasto, Simonetta Viola, Susanna Pozzolo, Tecla Mazzarese, Telmo Fernandes, Tomas Vytautas Raskevič ius, Vladimir Simonko, and Ylenia Zeqireya.
Special thanks go to Jasna Magić, for her valuable help in drafting the final version of this book.
Special thanks also go to all the European NGOs, which committed themselves to making this project successful, together with the University of Brescia: Avvocatura per i Diritti LGBTI, Háttér Society, Zagreb Pride, Broken Rainbow UK, ILGA Portugal, Lithuanian Gay League, Bilitis, and Çavaria.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 6 Giacomo Viggiani
INTIMATE VIOLENCE IN SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS 11 Arianna Petilli
BELGIUM 24 Kenneth Mills and Michaël Veltens
BULGARIA 37 Lora Novachkova and Monika Pisankaneva
CROATIA 55 Jelena Postic and Mia Gonan
HUNGARY 69 Bea Sándor and Katalin Ráhel Turai
ITALY 84 Maria Federica Moscati
LITHUANIA 101 Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius
PORTUGAL 121 Telmo Fernandes and Marta Ramos
UNITED KINGDOM (ENGLAND) 135 Jasna Magić
GLOSSARY 152 Anna Lorenzetti
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INTRODUCTION Giacomo Viggiani
Immodest creature, you do not want a woman who will accept your faults, you want the one who pretends you are faultless – one who will caress the hand that strikes her and kiss the lips that lie to her.
George Sand, Letter of 17 June 1837
What rights do I have as a lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LBT) survivor of domestic and dating violence? How do I know if I am in an abusive relationship with my female same- sex partner? How can I stop her? By providing answers to these questions, the present study aims to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the nature of domestic violence involving female same-sex partners and dating violence against trans women and related issues in some of the countries of the European Union, namely Bulgaria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, and United Kingdom. The book also aims to provide an overview of the way these countries address domestic violence and dating violence in the LBT communities. The study has three main objectives: firstly, it looks at the causes of violence and the manner in which such violence is manifested. In this case, particular attention has been directed at analysing whether there are differences in the definition of domestic and dating violence in the selected jurisdictions, and what are the specifics of domestic violence in female same-sex partnerships and dating violence against trans women. Secondly, it considers good practices which are in place in the countries analysed, and agencies and institutions mandated to tackle domestic and dating violence. Finally, this book provides baseline data on these topics and calls for a subsequent research in the European Union. As reported by existent literature, lesbian, bisexual and trans women are often victims of violence and various forms of abuse by their partners as well as in and outside of family life (Ard and Makadon, 2011; Brown, 2008; Peterman and Dixon, 2003). In particular, it has been shown that the factors that give rise to episodes of domestic and dating violence are similar for both heterosexual and same-sex couples, as well as the emotional consequences, such as fear, frustration, and shame (Serra, 2013). However, most recent studies show that rates of violence are higher for those who identify as transgender (Seelman, 2015) yet the presence of these topics in political and social debate remains scarce. Although recent attempts – such as the Italian research Eva contro Eva in 20111 – have been made to integrate limited literature with empirical data regarding issues as such as internalised homophobia, minority stress, stereotypes related to sexual orientation and other difficulties that might arise when dealing with intimate violence between female same-sex partners and dating violence against trans women, nevertheless the European