Turhan, Zeynep. 2019. The Lived Experiences of Turkish Perpetrators’ Engagement in Domestic Violence Interventions. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis] https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26174/ The version presented here may differ from the published, performed or presented work. Please go to the persistent GRO record above for more information. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Goldsmiths, University of London via the following email address: [email protected]. The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. For more information, please contact the GRO team: [email protected] The Lived Experiences of Turkish Perpetrators’ Engagement in Domestic Violence Interventions A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Zeynep Turhan Goldsmiths, University of London Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies 2019 1 DECLARATION I, Zeynep Turhan, hereby declare that this thesis is solely my own work. When I have referred to the work of others, this is always stated. Signed: Date: 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisors, Professor Claudia Bernard and Dr Perlita Harris, for their guidance, support and patience throughout this research study. Professor Bernard, your constructive comments, questions and critiques have been invaluable. Thank you for your patience, flexibility and understanding of the challenges I faced as an international student during my initial adjustment to living in a new country when I first joined the doctoral programme. Thank you for providing ongoing support. My family members have played a significant role in my ability to pursue my research. Thank you for your ongoing love, support and encouragement. I would like to thank all the professionals and Turkish men who contributed to this research through taking part in interviews and responding to my questions. I would also like to thank the individuals who helped me to access my participants as it was the most difficult part of this research. The men who attended this research made great progress in challenging their masculinity by sharing their sensitive and private experiences with a female researcher. Therefore, I again want to thank all the men who took part in this research and shared their private and sensitive experiences. 3 ABSTRACT This thesis aims to interpret the key issues of Turkish perpetrators‘ engagement in programmes that work with domestic violence perpetrators in the UK. The main aim of this is to examine how Turkish male perpetrators‘ unique circumstances related to their migration status, racial and cultural backgrounds, and other social structures shape their involvement in an intervention process. In focusing on experiences of Turkish men during interventions, it is clear that their interactions and responses play significant roles in understanding the influences of engagement within a broader context. Through direct testimony from nine Turkish men and eleven professionals given in interviews, this thesis explores their experiences and perspectives of involvement which can improve our understanding of key issues around interventions. Utilising data drawn from semi-structured interviews with Turkish men who had been in interventions, this thesis contributes to understanding how a number of different interactions shaped their responses. Interviews with professionals also provided an understanding of the implications of perpetrators‘ engagement in interventions. The findings highlight that men‘s social, cultural and religious backgrounds – as well as opportunities to access a culturally-sensitive service – are core elements in determining whether the perpetrators engage in interventions. This study enhances our understanding of the importance of focusing on men‘s constructions of masculinity and gender power relations in their participation in interventions. The results demonstrate the importance of adopting culturally- sensitive strategies which include professionals understanding men‘s social, 4 cultural and religious backgrounds, and being aware of racism and discrimination and migration-related stressors by developing trust and rapport. It is also recommended that implementing community-based practices can initiate collaborative work with Turkish communities. Through these practices, the men can seek to address their violent behaviour. 5 Table of content DECLARATION ..................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... 3 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. 10 Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................... 11 The aims of the dissertation ...................................................................................... 11 Definition of key terminology ..................................................................................... 13 Definition of domestic violence and honour-based violence ................................... 13 The concept of engagement in interventions ......................................................... 16 Terminology related to black and minority ethnic communities .............................. 18 Social and cultural backgrounds of the Turkish population in the UK ........................ 20 Rationale of study ..................................................................................................... 22 Organization of the dissertation ................................................................................. 26 Summary .................................................................................................................. 28 Chapter Two: Literature review ............................................................................................ 29 The prevalence and consequences of domestic violence.......................................... 31 Key issues of domestic violence for children in Turkish households .......................... 33 Turkish families affected by domestic violence .......................................................... 36 Patriarchy .............................................................................................................. 38 Honour and shame ................................................................................................ 42 Masculinity ............................................................................................................ 47 Immigration status ................................................................................................. 56 Racism in interventions ......................................................................................... 62 The role of facilitators in interventions ................................................................... 64 Culturally-sensitive approaches ............................................................................. 67 Implementing culturally-sensitive practices ............................................................ 74 Domestic violence perpetrator programmes .............................................................. 78 Current intervention programmes in the UK ........................................................... 80 Major issues of perpetrators‘ engagement in DVPPs ................................................ 83 Minimisations of violence ....................................................................................... 83 Being a father ........................................................................................................ 85 Types of referrals .................................................................................................. 94 Group cohesion and peer support ......................................................................... 95 Consequences of violent behaviour on perpetrators .............................................. 98 6 Summary ................................................................................................................ 101 Chapter Three: Methodology ............................................................................................. 105 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 105 Theoretical framework ............................................................................................ 106 Rationale for qualitative research design ................................................................ 110 Feminist research ................................................................................................ 113 Constructivist epistemology ................................................................................. 114 Research design ..................................................................................................... 115 Recruitment strategies ......................................................................................... 117 A summary of the biographical details of participants .......................................... 121 Data