City Research Online

Abstract

This scoping review maps the existing available literature on Black and minoritized women’s experiences with specialist Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) services in the UK to summarize current understanding and identify knowledge gaps. A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases and gray literature sources. All articles had to include Black and minoritized women’s experiences of DVA services. In total, 29 UK-based studies published between 2000 and 2024 were identified. Data were synthesized to identify key themes and gaps. Thematic analysis of the findings revealed three main themes: additional service needs, barriers to accessing support, and the pivotal role of “by and for” services. Our review concludes that “by and for” services—provided by and for minoritized women—which adopt an intersectional approach are crucial in addressing the unique needs of Black and minoritized “survivor–victims”, particularly in terms of language support, practical assistance, and community-related support. There is a need for more peer-reviewed literature to recognize the role of “by and for” services, using diverse methodologies to support Black and minoritized communities better.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Publisher Keywords:	Black and minoritized women, domestic violence and abuse, intersectionally competent, service provision, specialist, “by and for” services
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs School of Policy & Global Affairs > Violence and Society Centre
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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