Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major societal problem with significant healthcare implications. The consequences of this kind of violence result in victims (and perpetrators) regularly needing healthcare. Various structural barriers can prevent victims from accessing services or result in inadequate responses to their needs. International research shows that general practitioners can play an important role in tackling IPV but that they also are confronted with various difficulties themselves. Drawing on seventeen in-depth interviews with general practitioners in Flanders, we discuss in this article the experiences of GPs who come across IPV in their health care practice. We use an intersectional approach to better understand the difficulties GPs face by looking at the complexity underlying these cases and by exploring GPs’ understanding of vulnerabilities of marginalised groups. A thematic data analysis was applied. Using a number of case studies, we found that GPs are confronted with various structural barriers that complicate the care of patients who are victims of IPV. This gives rise to alternative care strategies, which are based on a sentiment of ‘involved incertitude’.

This article focuses on the ethical caring practices of general practitioners in dealing with intimate partner violence. In-depth interviews were conducted with general practitioners to inquire about their concrete experiences and conflicts, which were then submitted to a thematic analysis based on Tronto’s elements of an ethics of care. The results show the difficulties faced by general practitioners when it comes to clarifying their patients’ caring needs, determining what is meant by competent care and dealing with the conflicting expectations of the caregiver and care receiver particular to the issue of intimate partner violence.

The prosecution of domestic violence remains a complex process within criminal policy in Belgium. Evidence is often reliant on medical certificates or injury reports, necessary for victims who want to file official complaints. However, medical evidencing is a contentious issue. Based on qualitative research among public prosecutors, victims, and general practitioners in Belgium, this study analyses the challenges these groups face through an ethics of care lens. Despite their crucial importance in legal procedures, the use of certificates is surrounded by contradictions. The issues point to an unequal distribution of responsibilities, which masks institutional and political responsibilities and enhances the responsibilization of victims.

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