"Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global issue with deleterious outcomes for young girls and women (Heise, Ellsberg, & Gottemoeller, 2002), as well as communities and societies as a whole (Buvinic & Morrison, 1999). The Caribbean is no exception to these trends; however, little research exists in the region on the etiology of GBV (DeShong, 2011, 2015). Even fewer studies have considered the contributors to GBV from survivors' perspectives. This study utilized interview methods with survivors of violence against women in Barbados, to better understand perceived contributors to GBV; specifically, contributors across ecological levels as defined by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecology of human development and the Center for Disease Control's (2018) model for violence prevention. A total of 33 participants identified contributors to GBV across all levels of the ecological model, including individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors, such as witnessing or experiencing abuse as a child, economic dissonance or manipulation, traditional gender roles in intimate relationships, the raising of young boys versus young girls, the family system protection of men, the acceptance or trivialization of GBV by systems, the normalization of violence across communities and community settings, and traditional gender roles in a heteronormative society. Survivors' perceptions around, and experiences with, GBV should be incorporated into prevention and intervention efforts to ensure programs are aligned with their lived realities. Integrating survivor perceptions around predictors of GBV may contribute to the success of implemented programs in the future."--Page ii.
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