Att acceptera våldet eller utvisas : En kvalitativ studie om partnerinvandrade kvinnors uppbrottsprocess utifrån erfarenheter av personal på skyddade boenden. ; To accept the violence or get deported : A qualitative study of the leaving process for immigrant women on spousal visa based on the experiences of staff from protection shelters.

This study aims to examine how employees from protected shelters perceive that abused women on partner visas have experienced the leaving process and thereafter understand the possible impacts a person’s migration background can have. The study is based on five qualitative interviews with six employees from different protective shelters in Sweden, where results were analyzed through thematic analysis and based on intersectional theory. Results in this study show that oppressive norms and cultural traditions forces the women to remain in the relationship, and that being new in Sweden makes it more difficult for them to leave their spouses. The immigration legislation disadvantages these women, as the fear of deportation increases the risk of these women staying longer in abusive relationships with the protection rule being applied very restrictively setting requirements for evidence that are difficult to achieve. The decision to leave is often based on the women having been exposed to severe physical abuse that has required the authorities to intervene, the fear of harm to or losing children, and/or that the women have been supported and given information by outside sources.