I eftervåldets grepp : En kvalitativ studie om mödrars möjlighet att frigöra sig från våldsutövande fäder efter separation

Sammanfattning: The aim of this essay is to gain a deeper understanding of how socialworkers perceive that visitation rights and joint custody affects the mothers exposure to violence and the possibility to liberate themselves from post-separation violence. The essay also aims to understand the underlying mechanisms that hinders their process towards liberation. To answer the aims of the essay, a qualitative study has been conducted by interviewing five socialworkers from different areas of work connected to intimate partner violence. Analysis was made utilizing the theories of power, control, resistance and adaptation. The results of the study shows that mothers who have joint children with abusive men, suffer from post-separation violence to a larger extent than others due to the cooperation that is expected from parents. Furthermore it is more difficult for mothers to liberate themselves from post-separation violence when there are joint children involved. The study also shows that authorities can contribute to maintaining the violence as well as hindering the mothers possibility to liberate themselves from their perpetrator. The social workers portray how the responsibility tends to shift from the abusive father to the victim of violence and that this shift in responsibility needs to be remedied in order to enable the possibility for the mothers to break free from their perpetrator.