Fångad i lagens händer - En kvalitativ intervjustudie angående våldsutsatta kvinnor som anhöriginvandrat

Sammanfattning: Domestic violence is a global issue. Almost a third of women worldwide that have been in an intimate relationship have experienced sexual or/and physical violence. Women with insecure migrant status who experience domestic violence are a particularly vulnerable group, as they have an uncertain right of residence that is dependent on their relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the intersectional and gender-related issues in the legal structure surrounding women with insecure migrant status living in abusive relationships. The methodology was based on a series of qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with nine professionals, working in six different women shelters in Sweden. The empirical material has been recorded and transcribed, followed by a process of thematic analysis. In the analysis of the material, theories of intersectionality and gender studies were applied. The professionals interviewed in this study argued that the law system has limited agency to help immigrant women suffering from domestic abuse as the requested evidence is often not feasible to provide. The study also found that these women encounter issues locating support due to lack of information and language barriers. As a result of a dysfunctional legal system, a proportion of migrant women stay in abusive relationships, cause pregnancy or seek a new partner to avoid deportation to their country of origin. Furthermore, the analysis shows how immigration policy in Sweden reinforces power structures between men and women. At the same time, domestic violence needs to be recognized not only as a question of gender and power in the Swedish law system, but also in the context of ethnicity and racism.