Institutions for Conflict Resolution (COI)

Child victims and domestic violence

The judge as a problem-solver in domestic violence cases involving child victims.

Cases of domestic violence involving children often involve fragmentation of legal procedures. This makes it difficult for courts to take decisions that protect the child from a repeat offence and prevent secondary victimisation.  This study examines how these adverse outcomes can be avoided. The theory of therapeutic jurisprudence is guiding in this research project. According to this theory, legal subjects can experience both positive and negative consequences of the law in action. These consequences are studied by applying the theories of procedural and interactional justice and various methods of empirical legal research.