The depth of trauma: The children left behind after femicide in Turkey

Abstract

Femicide is experienced almost every day in Turkey due to male violence; tens of thousands of families and children who are affected by the violence are, at the same time, left behind. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted, using a qualitative method, with 6 children and 17 caregivers who were left behind following 10 cases of femicide, and the problems and needs experienced by these people are revealed.

Bereaved by Intimate Partner Homicide: Consequences and Experiences of Support

“…This upheaval naturally has consequences for the mental and physical wellbeing of these children, manifesting in intrusive memories, sleeping and eating problems, aggressive and/or self-destructive behavior, attachment difficulties, and/or PTSD (Alisic et al, 2015), especially if they have witnessed the homicide (Erükçü Akbaş & Karataş, 2022; Kaplan et al, 2001). Moreover, traumatic bereavement and its destabilizing consequences affect school attendance and academic achievement, which may consequently affect their adult lives negatively (Alisic et al, 2015).…”