Intimate partner violence in deviant settings--complex needs of women survivors

Women experiencing intimate violence within deviant settings, including bikie and other gangs and cults, have recently been the focus of research in South Australia. Domestic violence shelters are seeing increasing numbers of these women who are often involved in high risk behaviour and/or situations that pose significant risk to themselves and any accompanying children.

This article provides an overview of the profiles of women (and their children) escaping intimate partner violence within deviant settings, and the range of complex physical and mental health needs medical practitioners are likely to encounter in these patients.

Specific women's histories of ritualised partner abuse, its cultural context, and the resultant physical and mental health issues for these women and their children is discussed. It provides strategies for practitioners to work with these women and their children to overcome existing barriers to clinical intervention.