Supporting deaf people: empowering survivors of gender-based violence through research

Deaf women are two to three times more likely to experience domestic abuse than hearing women.

Reporting domestic abuse or accessing victim support services can bring challenges for any woman, but deaf women encounter serious obstacles and issues around accessibility and interaction with policing and other professionals when reporting abuse and sexual violence, and when seeking support.

Empowering deaf victims of gender-based violence

The JUSTISIGNS-2 project was the second part of a pioneering, transnational, educational and training project – JUSTISIGNS – to which Heriot-Watt contributed leading expertise. Funded by the European Commission, JUSTISIGNS-2 involved Heriot-Watt researchers and a consortium of European partners from Ireland, Belgium, Spain and the UK.

Stakeholders and advisory group members included Police Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid and Wise Women; deaf community organisations including Deaf Action and Sign Health and the Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK; and deaf women, deaf Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and interpreters.

The project has made a major contribution to how victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) from deaf and migrant communities are supported by key professionals in the police, health, social and legal spheres, and interpreters.

Undertaking research within deaf, migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities, the team investigated their experiences of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and their interactions with various agencies, looking at the barriers they encounter when reporting these crimes, seeking justice and accessing support. Then they developed a range of best-practice guidance materials and training for police forces and other professionals working within legal settings.

Best practice guidance to tackle barriers to effective support

The Heriot-Watt team specifically looked to understand the best ways to support deaf female victims in sign language. Much of the information and support for GBV victims is not available in British Sign Language (BSL) or other sign languages. Generally, deaf women who have experienced GBV receive support through mainstream hearing services, so they require police officers, counsellors and other professionals to work with BSL interpreters. Communication frequently involves legal or medical terms, as well as professional jargon, and BSL interpreters need to understand these terms and be able to relay them effectively. One of the important outputs from JUSTISIGNS-2 was the creation of a BSL glossary of terms, now freely available online.

Best practice guidance developed by the partnership included:

• a comprehensive training course and related manual to underpin continuous professional development for police forces, first point of contact staff, and spoken and sign language interpreters who deal with deaf victims of gender-based violence.
• a GBV Toolkit delivering tailored training resources for spoken and sign language interpreters who interpret in interactions between victims and support professionals, such as police, counsellors and legal professionals.

The Heriot-Watt team developed additional materials including a ‘ten top tips’ for communication with deaf survivors poster; a documentary about deaf women’s experiences; and video resources modelling best practices for interpreter-mediated domestic abuse interviews with deaf women.

Improvements in service provision impact

JUSTISIGNS-2 has helped to dramatically improve how interpreters and police officers work together to provide access to support for deaf women. It has increased awareness and developed understanding of the service provision needed by deaf female victims, as well as increasing awareness within the deaf and migrant communities about how to report crimes and sexual violence and what to expect at the various stages of the legal processes. It has also raised awareness of health, wellbeing and support structures that are available for deaf communities.

It led directly to a project in partnership with Irish and Scottish police forces which is improving access to support for deaf women reporting domestic abuse in rural areas, where there is a lack of interpreters. It has also contributed directly to better policy, such as the Scottish Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls independent strategic review for funding of services. More generally, the project has helped service providers understand deaf women’s needs in the wider equality, diversity and inclusion context.