Professionals’ Responses to Aggravated Intimate Partner Violence
A Study of the Norwegian Duty to Avert in Criminal Case Documents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15845/bjclcj.v13i2.4680Abstract
How are professionals in Norway responding to the pervasive issue of intimate partner violence (IPV)? Under Norwegian law, the duty to avert (DTA) obliges all citizens, including professionals, to act against intimate partner violence, distinguishing it from legislation on mandatory reporting (MR) as it allows – and demands – averting by reporting to the police or by other means. There is a lack of insight into the usage of the duty to avert among professionals dealing with intimate partner violence.
This article examines the legal framework of the duty to avert intimate partner violence (DTA-IPV). It assesses the extent to which professionals comply with the duty to avert IPV, identifying who engages in such actions and what they do. Additionally, it investigates the impact of DTA and presents a typology derived from the research, outlining four typical scenarios observed in this study. Analysis of criminal case documents from 38 aggravated IPV cases reveals that while professionals attempt to avert IPV, considerable potential remains untapped. Professionals act in line with their respective fields, resulting in variations in the enforcement and nature of DTA actions across different professions. Moreover, there is a complete absence of references to the legal provision regarding the duty to avert as grounds for these DTA actions, suggesting a lack of legal awareness among professionals. These findings underscore the need for enhanced training and education on DTA and prompt whether DTA-IPV legislation should be simplified to ensure a better understanding of the legislation.
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