Strengths of women who are victims of domestic violence at Peace House Shelter, Center for Women and Development, Vietnam Women's Union

Abstract

Domestic violence against women is a serious social problem, not only causing severe consequences for the physical and mental health of the victims but also hindering the sustainable development of society. In that context, strengths-based social work has been considered a new and positive perspective, shifting from the problem to the utilization of the internal strengths of people experiencing domestic violence as a premise for their recovery and reintegration. This study was conducted with 100 women who were victims of violence by their husbands or cohabitants and were temporarily residing at, or had returned to their families after being supported at the Peace House Shelter under the Centre for Women and Development, Vietnam Women's Union. The research results showed that, despite their sufferings, women who experienced domestic violence still maintained significant internal strengths such as faith and hope, adaptability and coping ability, energy, self-esteem and other positive characteristics. Social workers need to use their expertise to identify and stimulate the internal strengths of clients to improve the effectiveness of the recovery process, promote empowermenta and reintegration and reduce the risk of violence recurrence in victims.