Efforts to reduce incidence of intimate partner violence face different barriers than efforts to reduce other types of crime.  Typical crime control strategies increase guardianship in order to reduce opportunities to victimize others.  Yet, because most crimes against intimate partners are perpetrated in private settings, increased guardianship is not possible.  Instead, in order to protect victims of partner violence from further assaults, they must first seek help.  This research examines the help-seeking behavior of married victims of spousal violence in nine developing countries (Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Moldova, Azerbaijan, India, and Cameroon).  We use data from the US AID Demographic and Health Survey to lay out a series of hypotheses based on the costs and benefits to victims of reaching out in order to better understand their help-seeking decision-making.

Co-Investigators
Researchers