Intimate partner violence among young people remains a topic that, despite its prevalence and severity, is often overlooked and insufficiently addressed. Yet highlighting the stories and experiences of young people can significantly contribute to a better understanding of the nature of such violence. I have personally witnessed cases where my peers experienced violence in their relationships, and some young people have confided in me about their own situations. As someone frequently in contact with young people in various settings, I have noticed that they often lack knowledge to recognise violence and effectively deal with it. Therefore, in this research, I aimed to shed light on this topic and give a voice to young people with experiences of intimate partner violence. In my master's thesis, I explore the recognition of violence in intimate partner relationships, the types of violence in such relationships, the consequences of violence, the reasons for remaining in abusive relationships, the help received when experiencing partner violence, the barriers to seeking help due to such experiences, and ultimately, the desired support during such times. The theoretical part includes topics on intimate partner violence, types of violence in intimate relationships, and the theme of youth and violence in intimate relationships. In the empirical part, I present the methodology of the research conducted, followed by results obtained through semi-structured interviews. Ten young people with experiences of intimate partner violence participated in the research. The results showed that the young individuals recognised signs of violence a few months into the relationship. When recognizing the violence, they experienced feelings of fear, threat, worthlessness, devaluation, helplessness, sadness, and internalized feelings of guilt and responsibility for the violence. They experienced psychological, physical, sexual, economic violence and violence through technology. The violence left consequences such as living in fear, lack of interest in activities, difficulty completing school tasks, loneliness due to isolation, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, weight gain or loss, burnout, emotional walls built as protection against emotional closeness with others, and an inability to enter intimate relationships long after the experience of violence. They remained in the abusive relationship due to hope that the violence would stop following the perpetrator's promises, due to lowered self-esteem and a sense of dependence on the perpetrator, and due to an inability to recognise the violence because of youth, inexperience, and lack of information about healthy relationships. For help during the experience of violence, they turned to family, friends, and the perpetrator's family, and in most cases received supportive responses, though some also experienced unsupportive reactions. In seeking help, they faced barriers such as feelings of shame, failure to recognise the violence, underestimating the severity of violence, lack of information about help-seeking procedures due to their youth, and financial inability to afford private services. While experiencing violence, they need conversation, someone to truly listen, support from those close to them, and identify psychotherapy as a useful professional form of help. To improve support systems for young victims of violence, they propose access to free psychotherapy services for young victims of violence without waiting lists, particularly due to their financial vulnerability, and raising awareness among young people about all forms of violence in intimate partner relationships. The key message they wish to send to other young people experiencing intimate partner violence is that they should recognise their self-worth, seek help, and leave the abusive relationship, while understanding that the violence will eventually end.
|
