HONOR-RELATED VIOLENCE AND OPPRESSION IN CHILD CARE INVESTIGATIONS : A qualitative study of the challenges and possibilities faced by social services when investigating honor related violence

Abstract: This Master’s project aims to explore the challenges and possibilities the social services encounter when investigating honor related violence in childcare investigations. Furthermore, the project is investigating social workers’ perceptions and experiences of honor related violence (HRV) and if that aspect of violence makes any difference to the investigation of child abuse. A qualitative approach has been used, where interviews were held with ten social workers. The project’s result and analysis has been divided into three themes: Social workers knowledge regarding HRV, working methods used when investigating child abuse with elements of HRV   and the impact of the child perspective on different assessments concerning children in the same families.  The results show that the social worker's knowledge has a significant role in how a case is handled by the social services. The lack of in-depth knowledge among social workers regarding HRV can have consequences for the work in various ways. The study also shows that there is a need for social services to develop treatments that are adapted to honor-related violence. Finally, the conclusion of this study shows that the current legislation in Sweden could be further developed.