Coercive Control of Muslim South Asian Women
: Practitioners’ Perspectives

  • Abubakr Hussain

Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

Over the last couple of decades, there has been much research and an increase in understanding of coercive abuse, especially since it was criminalized in 2015 (SCA 2015). However, there is still a lack of research and knowledge of the coercive experiences faced by Muslim South Asian women residing in the UK. This study attempts to address this gap in research through analysing the accounts provided by domestic violence agency workers that have supported Muslim South Asian women. The present research was designed to enhance understanding of coercive control, specifically the experiences of Muslim South Asian women living in the UK, to enable effective support through the intentions of improving knowledge and understanding for supporting practitioners and to direct further policies surrounding coercive control. This thesis acknowledges the struggle that Muslim South Asian women face and the extent of the control that they experience. Determined through a feminist poststructuralist methodology, a qualitative approach was employed to explore the experiences of coercion faced by Muslim South Asian women living in the UK. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 20 domestic violence agency workers, who were recruited by contacting domestic violence agencies across the UK. Participants shared their accounts and their experiences of supporting Muslim South Asian women, which has allowed to help understand and identify the extent to which Muslim South Asian survivors living in the UK are affected by coercive control. Through the use of a thematic analysis, eight key themes were identified and explored in depth. These key themes are: cultural understanding, communication and language barriers, creating awareness of control, entrapment in the relationship, power struggles in the relationship, social isolation, support and network, threats and violence, and immigration and the threat of deportation. The research outlined many findings within these key themes. Overall, the study concludes with the main finding that Muslim South Asian women living in the UK experience more forms of coercion in comparison to Britons, and therefore require a much deeper level of support to flee from the abusive relationship or to overcome the traumatic experiences that they have faced.
Date of Award12 Sep 2024
Original languageEnglish
SupervisorJamie Halsall (Main Supervisor) & Santokh Gill (Co-Supervisor)

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