The chapter on working with the victims of domestic violence in Russia in Marriage and Family therapy for the Handbook Intercultural Perspectives in Family Counseling (in progress) presents an overview of dominant cultural norms, which endorse domestic violence and sexual assault in modern Russia, addressing social inequalities and providing a rationale for specific treatment plans for family counseling within domestic violence. Ethical and clinical issues in family counseling with couples where violence is present are addressed. Clinical assessment and screening, guidelines for conjoint treatment, therapeutic tools and treatment plans within Russian culture are provided.
Domestic violence and discrimination against women are the most pressing problems confronting Russia today (Horne, 1999; Hawkins, & Knox, 2014). Domestic violence is considered a private matter in Russian society, which is seen as a “dirty laundry not to be washed in public”. Additionally, battered women are concerned that should they leave their abuser, they will be unable to support themselves and their children as the traditional cultural norms of Russian gender culture dictate a dependent status for women (Horne, 1999). Moreover, Russian proverb “he beats you, which means he loves you” shows that violent actions of male traditionally are perceived as signs of care.
Additionally, sexual violence against women in Russia is widespread, and for many years this topic remained taboo. However, recently researchers and family counselors acknowledged the necessity of examining the effects sex, age, and level of traditional values on Russian adults’ perceptions of a sexual assault scenario. Overall, Russian adults endorse more traditional roles for women than what research indicates for adults in the U.S., with men holding more traditional beliefs than women. When a man was given more authority and power, he was seen as more justified and was more likely to be exonerated when he committed a violent act against a woman (Diakonova-Curtis, & Porter, n.d.).
Family therapy intensively develops in Russian society, however, “there is no standardized psychosocial (psychological) assistance for the family” and this type of care almost doesn’t exist in rural areas and small towns, (Bebtschuk, Smirnova, & Khayretdinov, 2012), where the level of domestic violence is high (Volkova, Lipai, & Wendt, 2015). Needless to say, there is a lack of special education on working with the issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse in marriage and family therapy.
References
Bebtschuk, M., Smirnova, D., & Khayretdinov, O. (2012). Family and family therapy in Russia. International Review of Psychiatry, 24(2), 121–127. doi:10.3109/09540261.2012.656305
Diakonova-Curtis, D., & Porter, N. (n.d.). Factors affecting the perceptions of sexual assault of women in Russia. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e625292013-001
Hawkins, C. A., & Knox, K. S. (2014). Gender violence and discrimination in Russia: Learning from an American–Russian partnership. International Social Work, 57(5), 511-522. doi:10.1177/0020872814536416
Volkova, O., Lipai, T., & Wendt, S. (2015). Domestic violence in rural arears of Russia and Australia. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 55, 101–110. doi:10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilshs.55.101
