Guardianship Among Immigrant Intimate Partner Violence Survivors

Immigrant victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are often isolated from family and friends. This article uses informant accounts of IPV survivors to explore guardianship-a key concept of routine activities theory-that helps explain the risk of victimization. The concept of guardianship is helpful in understanding immigrant women's needs and concerns and provides a framework to consider what might affect guardians' capability in the context of immigrant women suffering IPV. The survivors' accounts illustrate that the incapability of discouraging the crime might be related to hierarchical and unequal societal conditions for women, the complexity of immigrant women's circumstances, victims' bonds with perpetrators and personal guardians, as well as social and cultural norms related to IPV.