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Erschienen in: Journal of Family Violence 8/2010

01.11.2010 | Original Article

Damned if They Flee, Doomed if They Don’t: Narratives of Runaway Adolescent Females from Rural India

verfasst von: Vaishali V. Raval, Pratiksha H. Raval, Stacey P. Raj

Erschienen in: Journal of Family Violence | Ausgabe 8/2010

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Abstract

Within the cultural context of rural India that emphasizes familial roles for women, this qualitative study explored the experiences of adolescent females who run away from their family homes. Ten adolescent females from rural areas or small towns of Gujarat, India were individually interviewed while they temporarily resided in an institution, along with six members of the institution staff. Throughout childhood, participants described experiencing differential attention and care to domestic violence and abuse within their families. In the context of this life-long mistreatment, the immediate trigger for the decision to flee was family disapproval of the romantic partners that adolescent females had chosen for themselves. Each of the females eloped with the male romantic partner, which led to severe opposition from their families, including explicit threats of endangering their or their partners’ lives, in turn, destroying the promise of a better life that the girls likely sought through escape. Prevention and intervention approaches are needed that promote community change and provide adaptive options for adolescent girls in distress.
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Metadaten
Titel
Damned if They Flee, Doomed if They Don’t: Narratives of Runaway Adolescent Females from Rural India
verfasst von
Vaishali V. Raval
Pratiksha H. Raval
Stacey P. Raj
Publikationsdatum
01.11.2010
Verlag
Springer US
Erschienen in
Journal of Family Violence / Ausgabe 8/2010
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-010-9333-5

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