ASSISTING VIOLENCE
VICTIMS THROUGH CAREFUL
INTERVENTIONS: A
CHALLENGE FOR NURSES
Ravono, Akisi
Lecturer, School of Nursing, CMNHS,
Fiji National University.
 It
is a ‘human problem’; whether perpetrated
by men or women.
 The problem is not about violent men or women
but violence in families.
 Strategies undertaken by any society to address
any type of domestic violence is an issue that
must be considered because if it is ignored other
types of violence may become acceptable.
 Mixed
method
- survey questionnaire (n = 216)
- face-to-face interviews (n = 16).
 Analysis- SPSS & NVivo
 Results: 36% male, 28% female admitted being
abused at home.
- 64% males, 72% of women reported witnessing
acts of violence at home.
Display two personalities, one
in private and one in public
life
Look perfect in
front of others
The
“Perfect Couple”
n = 16 (100%)
Image
n = 16 (100%)
Cannot escape from
experience
Privately deal with
it
Get Help from others
Jone:
 “People from the outside think that everything is
alright. This type of pressure has prevented me
from living a life away from the abuse. At most
times, I wanted to get out but often think of what
others will say. It’s a problem because I have to
carry all my experiences around with me. My wife
displays two different faces, good in front of others,
especially in church but is different at home. I do
not want to criticize her but it is reality.”
Luisa:
 “Many times, I pretended that we’re okay when
we’re not. This has bothered me and is affecting
our marital relationship. Our relatives think that
we’re okay. I hide the actual truth about our
relationship. When other people are with us, I
pretend to be good. He is the one that is providing
for us, so I better respect him for that. We need to
remember our cultural values too.”
 Preventative-
in any setting, this can be fully
utilized to the meet needs of domestic violence
victims.
 Nurses can lead the way by establishing an
identification process that would identify potential
victims in the community, Eg; through reports
 This will assist in establishing a prevention program
for those potential victims which would ultimately
reduce health costs.
 Curative
Services certain strategies can be
implemented to provide holistic care of
vulnerable individuals.
 Follow up care of victims, which would
include referrals to proper authorities
 Empowerment through counselling services
by health care providers can assist domestic
violence victims.
Nurses must be able to recognize signs of
violence in their patients and families. This
will contribute increased knowledge
regarding the existence and extent of the
problem. It would provide early intervention
for victims by referring patients to the
proper authorities.
 Those employed must be empowered to be
vigilant for the most optimum outcome.
