Models of policing gender violence (GBV) are based primarily on approaches developed in English-speaking countries in the northern hemisphere (Carrington et al., Theor Criminol. https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806221099631 , 2022). The unique challenges of policing gender violence in complex cultural settings of the Global South, where blended justice frameworks operate, are under-researched. This is especially so in the Pacific Islands, where women have continued to report lifetime prevalence rates of violence between 60% and 80% (World Health Organisation, 2021). The Pacific Island of Fiji has some of the highest rates of GBV globally, with over 52% of Fijian women experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime, nearly double the global average. Our project, farmed by Southern Criminology, which involved a team drawn from Australia and Fiji, investigated current policing practices in handling cases of sexual and domestic violence to identify opportunities for making meaningful improvements based on local knowledge. We interviewed 58 participants, including police officers from various ranks and units, government and UN officials, representatives from women’s and human rights organisations, social welfare and medical service providers, and senior justice officials and leaders. This chapter draws selectively on this field research to discuss some of the possibilities for enhancing police responses to gender violence, such as prioritising leadership-driven cultural change, expanding the Sexual Offence Units to include domestic violence, enhancing the role of Community Posts in investigating gender violence and reforming outdated laws and policies like the No-Drop Policy.

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Enhancing the Policing of Gender Violence in the Global South

  • Kerry Carrington,
  • Melissa Jardine,
  • Helen Singh,
  • Carla Chan Unger

摘要

Models of policing gender violence (GBV) are based primarily on approaches developed in English-speaking countries in the northern hemisphere (Carrington et al., Theor Criminol. https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806221099631 , 2022). The unique challenges of policing gender violence in complex cultural settings of the Global South, where blended justice frameworks operate, are under-researched. This is especially so in the Pacific Islands, where women have continued to report lifetime prevalence rates of violence between 60% and 80% (World Health Organisation, 2021). The Pacific Island of Fiji has some of the highest rates of GBV globally, with over 52% of Fijian women experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime, nearly double the global average. Our project, farmed by Southern Criminology, which involved a team drawn from Australia and Fiji, investigated current policing practices in handling cases of sexual and domestic violence to identify opportunities for making meaningful improvements based on local knowledge. We interviewed 58 participants, including police officers from various ranks and units, government and UN officials, representatives from women’s and human rights organisations, social welfare and medical service providers, and senior justice officials and leaders. This chapter draws selectively on this field research to discuss some of the possibilities for enhancing police responses to gender violence, such as prioritising leadership-driven cultural change, expanding the Sexual Offence Units to include domestic violence, enhancing the role of Community Posts in investigating gender violence and reforming outdated laws and policies like the No-Drop Policy.