title: Secondary Victimization: Domestic Violence Survivors Navigating the Family Law System.
abstract: This qualitative study explored the experiences of 22 domestic violence survivors attempting to negotiate safe post-separation parenting arrangements through the Australian family law system. Their allegations of violence put them at odds with a system that values mediated settlements and shared parenting. Skeptical responses, accusations of parental alienation, and pressure to agree to unsafe arrangements exacerbated the effects of post-separation violence. Core themes in the women's narratives of engagement with the family law system-silencing, control, and undermining the mother-child relationship-mirrored domestic violence dynamics, suggesting the concept of secondary victimization as a useful lens for understanding their experiences.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002655:Child Custody / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: child custody; domestic violence; family law; secondary victimization; shared parenting