| Since the inception of the modern anti-domestic violence movement in the 1970's, various pockets of domestic violence survivors have asserted that mainstream responses to violence have failed to uphold their autonomy and agency from their abusers and also from the professionals designated to serve them. Furthermore, the anti-domestic violence movement, which was originally firmly based in feminist, grassroots movements for change has increasingly become closely linked to state infrastructure and the criminal justice system, making many survivors reluctant or fearful to access these services when they are even available in their communities. Additionally, the emphasis on survivors as having psychological problems due to "battered woman syndrome" has made many question the direction whether currently accessible resources for battered women are the most practical and helpful. This desire on the part of survivors, scholars and advocates alike to distance domestic violence response from the state has made way for burgeoning informal restorative justice initiatives and other radical, creative responses to domestic violence which may be particularly useful in cases of domestic violence that resist criminal prosecution, like family violence. While many restorative justice initiatives catering to domestic violence are still inchoate, they could be further developed by communities as possible alternatives to current state-sanctioned or psychotherapeutic responses to domestic violence. |
