{"title":"Navigating Fear: Women's Perceptions of Safety and Vulnerability in the Urban Landscape of Sambalpur, India.","authors":"Rashmi Rai, Ambarish Kumar Rai","doi":"10.1891/VV-2024-0194","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vulnerability is the perception of being exposed and susceptible to potential harm or adversity. This study underscores the critical role of individual women's perceived vulnerability in shaping their sense of safety and risk of victimization within the urban landscape. Focusing on women aged 15-49 years in Sambalpur city and its surrounding areas, the research draws on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, analyzed through a phenomenological lens. Findings reveal that women's perceptions of physical vulnerability, sociopsychological harm associated with sexual crimes, apprehension about demands for sexual favors, and direct or vicarious experiences of victimization profoundly shape their fears and perceived risk of crime in the city. Recognizing and addressing these dimensions is vital to fostering urban spaces where women can move freely and confidently, without the shadow of fear or anxiety.</p>","PeriodicalId":48139,"journal":{"name":"Violence and Victims","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Violence and Victims","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1891/VV-2024-0194","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Vulnerability is the perception of being exposed and susceptible to potential harm or adversity. This study underscores the critical role of individual women's perceived vulnerability in shaping their sense of safety and risk of victimization within the urban landscape. Focusing on women aged 15-49 years in Sambalpur city and its surrounding areas, the research draws on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, analyzed through a phenomenological lens. Findings reveal that women's perceptions of physical vulnerability, sociopsychological harm associated with sexual crimes, apprehension about demands for sexual favors, and direct or vicarious experiences of victimization profoundly shape their fears and perceived risk of crime in the city. Recognizing and addressing these dimensions is vital to fostering urban spaces where women can move freely and confidently, without the shadow of fear or anxiety.
期刊介绍：
We all face the difficult problem of understanding and treating the perpetrators and victims of violence behavior. Violence and Victims is the evidence-based resource that informs clinical decisions, legal actions, and public policy. Now celebrating its 25th year, Violence and Victims is a peer-reviewed journal of theory, research, policy, and clinical practice in the area of interpersonal violence and victimization. It seeks to facilitate the exchange of information on this subject across such professional disciplines as psychology, sociology, criminology, law, medicine, nursing, psychiatry, and social work.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
