Theory and practice: The advisory council of affected persons at S.I.G.N.A.L.

People affected by intimate partner violence often do not seek support from psychosocial services, the healthcare system, or the police, or only do so at a very late stage. Many initially turn to people close to them or to places in their everyday environment. In our research department, we examine how these support pathways unfold. In this way, we aim to reach affected individuals as early as possible and with as few barriers as possible.

In recent months, we have analyzed posts in online forums in which people write about relationship conflicts. This presents many challenges. For example, due to the anonymity of the posts, we were unable to inform users about the analysis or obtain their consent.

The advisory council of affected persons at Signal e.V. supported us in an advisory capacity. Together, we discussed the ethical aspects of this approach. It was particularly important to us to sharpen our perspective on how affected individuals can benefit as much as possible from research projects, and what precautions should be taken to protect users as effectively as possible.

We were able to learn a great deal from the members of the advisory council and are pleased that two of them* agreed to give us an interview on the topic of affected-centered collaboration between research and the advisory council.

Many thanks for this valuable collaboration!

Gaby Prossmann: "The council was set up in April 2018 to actively incorporate the perspective of women with complex trauma caused by domestic and/or sexualized violence into the work of the network. The council is made up of affected women who work closely with the Trauma Network Berlin specialist unit on a voluntary basis and are also supported by the specialist unit."

Gaby Prossmann: "The aim of the council is to represent the interests of women affected by violence and their children in healthcare. We provide political impetus and advise the Trauma Network. We have developed various position papers at health policy level and a training module aimed at sensitizing healthcare professionals to the concerns and needs of women affected by violence. In cooperation with three Berlin clinics, we are working on making clinical treatment services more trauma-sensitive and women-specific. Psychotherapists and representatives from violence protection facilities, child and youth welfare organizations, child and youth psychiatry and youth welfare offices are also involved in this Berlin pilot project."

Anonymous member: "The connection between the expertise of those affected and specialist expertise is particularly important to us, as practice often shows a different picture than theory can depict. We would like to see interdisciplinary cooperation for the provision of care and for prevention work, which benefits in the long term from those affected, who are experts in their own right."

Anonymous member: "This is a question of the respective personal life experience and connection to the topic itself. Is the person willing to open up to the reality of the life of a victim of violence, to think more broadly about the complexity of the needs and to adapt more technical and factual processes to the trauma-sensitive level of the person in order to be able to reach them?"

Gaby Prossmann: "I see hurdles above all when research projects are still created in the "old power imbalance", i.e. when those affected are not included in the research. I see opportunities in working at eye level, in the awareness that those affected "know where the shoe pinches". They can help to identify research questions that are really relevant to everyday life instead of "researching past the needs."

Anonymous member: "In the curricula of all those involved in care, intervention, prevention, prosecution, support and victim protection. Many victims need much more knowledge about violence, the consequences, the perpetrator-victim dynamics and can only regain control with the necessary understanding of their own survival strategies. We also owe it to our children to prepare them for a realistic world in which violence in all its forms is unfortunately part of our everyday lives. They need the necessary child-friendly tools for their rights in order to recognize violence and people who are willing to use violence. They also need to be empowered in their autonomy so that trusted individuals have less room to exploit their dependency."

Gaby Prossmann: "Yes, neither trauma-sensitive work nor the perspective of those affected is included in the training of future professionals. This urgently needs to change."

Anonymous member: "Develop awareness that violence and its victims are everywhere. We all are and can be affected everywhere. Each of us probably knows someone who is perhaps outed in our circle of friends or who works with us without being recognized. We all see the effects. They can manifest themselves in physical illnesses, difficulties in social life and other symptoms. It is important to look and recognize that many symptoms, abnormalities and illnesses can be a result of violence. We must all treat each other with care and respect in order to open up spaces for those affected, who often remain silent for many years out of fear and insecurity. Perhaps we also need to look at generational traumatization and the fact that protecting victims also means preventing renewed violence."

Gaby Prossmann: "Direct input from those affected helps to facilitate participation in studies and break down barriers. By taking everyday experiences into account, research results become more relevant and effective. The self-determination and visibility of those affected is promoted through joint research projects by recognizing the voice of those affected as an equal source of knowledge."

Violence-free: As a council for victims of intimate partner violence, you are one of the few exceptions in Germany. We know about you, the Council of Victims in Bremen and the monitoring committee for the implementation of the IC.

Gaby Prossmann: "The Trauma Network Berlin's Council of Affected Persons is a unique body in the health sector nationwide that recognizes those affected as experts from experience. The Bremen Council of Affected Persons is supported by politicians and was explicitly founded to implement the Istanbul Convention. There is also a Victims' Advisory Council in Cologne, supported by the Archdiocese of Cologne, which is a voluntary representation of people who have experienced sexualized violence in the Catholic Church. Some members of our council of affected persons applied to join the advisory board in Berlin, but were not accepted. In Hesse, there is a state council for those affected that campaigns for the interests of children and young people. In the meantime, Romy Stangl has launched a campaign to strengthen the voices of those affected nationwide and to form affected persons' councils. Networking was considered a few years ago, but proved to be very difficult because it was not really possible to reconcile the different priorities."

Anonymous member: "Why don't you learn from the experiences of those affected and talk about them instead of with them?"

Gaby Prossmann: "Include us in your research projects so that there are realistic results!"

*After consultation, one person (Anonymous member) was anonymized and only Gaby Prossmann was mentioned by name.