Adverse experiences throughout development confer risk for a multitude of negative long-term outcomes, but the processes via which these experiences are neurobiologically embedded are still unclear. Adolescence provides an opportunity to understand how these experiences impact the brain's rapidly changing structure. Two models are central to…

Worldwide, childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is widespread with severe consequences. We assessed the influence of CSA on insecure attachment in 488 young women in Botswana with no history of CSA, a history of CSA without re-occurrence in adulthood, and a history of CSA with re-occurrence in adulthood. Binary logistic regression analyses were fitted to…

Domestic abuse continues to be a growing concern across the globe where the overwhelming majority of victims are women. Women also tend to experience more severe forms of violence, which includes murder. There is growing recognition that children who live in households where domestic abuse exists are directly harmed and often show psychological…

The study examined the Bird's Nest Drawing (BND) of 14 adults who experienced child sexual abuse perpetrated by females, primarily their mothers. Descriptive analysis revealed the prevalence of insecure attachment and mainly an ambivalent representation. The drawings reflected vulnerability and under-protectiveness. Almost one-third of the…

Violence against women is a pervasive issue that social workers often encounter in their practice settings. Preparing social workers to work with survivors of violence is essential, but currently, standardized, guidelines to support this process are lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop these competencies through a collaborative…

Child marriage in Tanzania is a critical human rights issue in Tanzania and around the globe. This article focuses on the legal structure of Tanzania to show that Tanzania's Law of Marriage Act, Sections 13 and 17, enacted in 1971, violates its constitution and obligations in international human rights treaties and the Universal Declaration of…

Domestic violence is a purposeful use of force or strength on a person within and outside the house which affects the person adversely or the society at large. Therefore, this study examined the influence of domestic violence among Senior Secondary School Girls in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State. Ex-post facto research design was…

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is not a recent phenomenon. What is new is the additional increasing threats that millions of women and girls face because of the rapid spread of ICTs and the expansion of social media. Cases of VAWG wherein ICT and social media are used as platforms by cybercriminals can be seen in the news media coverage.…

Domestic abuse in childhood is seriously impactful, but very little literature uses a critical lens to consider implications for counsellors and psychotherapists working with young adults following domestic abuse in childhood. This article draws on research that explored 10 young women's accounts of transitions to adulthood after domestic abuse in…

This paper explores the challenges and successes of engaging female survivors of childhood sexual abuse and sexual violence in community-based, arts-informed adult learning. The study presents the complex physical, psychological and emotional barriers to participation that were encountered during the fieldwork period. The rationale for using an…

Social emotional learning (SEL) aims to promote student well-being, including healthy relationships that are free from harm like gender-based-violence (GBV). We investigated U.S. SEL policy through the lens of GBV, and how policy in the New York State (NYS) context operates to actualize or constrain SEL aims. To do so, we developed and applied a…

The mission of the Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) at the Rutgers University School of Social Work is to strive to eliminate physical, sexual, and other forms of violence against women and children and the power imbalances that permit them. This mission is accomplished through the use of a collaborative approach that focuses…

Child maltreatment is associated with negative mental health outcomes including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety. Maltreatment experiences can result in negative beliefs about safety and wellbeing, which may maintain negative mental health symptoms. Household dysfunction (eg, impaired caregiver) is considered less…

In May 2012, nine men from Rochdale were convicted and jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men. Following the case in Rochdale similar cases of grooming and sexual abuse/exploitation of young girls came to light in various towns and cities across the UK. In 2017, the BBC aired the…

Unlike other common proxies of socioeconomic status such as income and occupation, prior research has found no conclusive evidence regarding the effects of education on the likelihood of domestic violence against women and children around the world. Thus, there are studies finding no significant education effects for certain populations and…