BU Research Blog

Victims and survivors of domestic abuse from minority communities face additional barriers in accessing support, research by an interdisciplinary team at BU has found. The research explored the experiences of LGBTQ+, black and ethnic minority (BME) communities, and disabled people to understand their specific support needs, as well as the barriers and needs of a wider population based in Southampton and its surrounding areas.

The team of researchers comprised Terri Cole in Psychology, Jane Healy in Criminology and Orlanda Harvey in Social Work, who undertook a series of data collection measures over the last 12 months. Through interviews and a survey with women (and men) who experience domestic abuse or know of someone who has experienced domestic abuse, they identified a variety of individual and structural barriers to getting support.

The work was commissioned by Yellow Door and Stop Domestic Abuse; you can read more about the project, it’s findings and recommendations, and access a link to the report here: Minority groups face additional barriers in accessing domestic abuse services, research finds | Bournemouth University