Det Osynliga Våldet : - socialarbetares syn på kvinnor med funktionsnedsättning och deras utsatthet för våld i nära relationer

The aim of this study was to highlighting social workers perceptions of women with disabilities and their vulnerability to domestic violence - and thereby problematize previous research on gender-based violence on the basis of category of functional ability. We designed this study by using a qualitative approach based on six semi-structed interviews with professionals from different professions. All of them have contact with women with disabilities in some way. The selection was based on gaining an understanding of the social worker’s perceptions regarding abused women with disabilities based on their different professional experiences. We also had the intention to broaden the concept of "violence" to more than physical embodiment. Our interviews were complemented with previous research such as scientific papers, theses and other literature. In relation to our theoretical approaches our results demonstrated some important conclusions. Our results showed a substantial lack of knowledge regarding violence against women with disabilities. This lack of knowledge in turn affected the social worker’s conditions to detect the violence but also to set up adequate measures to these women. The results also showed that gender and disability affects the shape of violence that women with disabilities are vulnerable to, which then shows that women with disabilities can be seen as doubly vulnerable. Furthermore, our results showed that this problem has begun to expand in theory as well as in social work