Season 4 Episode 3: The silent effects of non-fatal strangulation: A conversation with international & lived experience expert, Nneka MacGregor

Partnered with a Survivor: David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel

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Strangulation attempts are a common element of domestic violence perpetrators’ patterns of behaviors. Non-fatal strangulation has long been identified as a risk factor for domestic violence homicide. Less attention has been paid to the short, medium and long term effects of non-fatal strangulation on survivor functioning and well-being. In this interview with Nneka MacGregor, Ruth and David discuss her research into the injuries, impact and experiences of survivors who have experienced non-fatal strangulation. This co-written study is entitled “A fresh breath: Examining the experience of strangulation among women abuse by an intimate partner.”
In the interview they discuss:

• The specific impacts on non-fatal strangulation on like memory loss, traumatic brain injury and increased risk for stroke and other health risks
• How these symptoms and problems, when decontextualized from perpetrators’ assaults, can contribute to victim-blaming
• How perpetrators of non-strangulation need to be held more accountable as parents for the impacts of their behavior
• The siloed and often ineffective responses of professional responses to non-fatal strangulation
• How professionals need to be on the lookout for the signs and symptoms of effects of non-fatal strangulation and listen to the voices of survivors about their experience

Nneka MacGregor is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Centre for Social Justice, better known as WomenatthecentrE, a unique non-profit created by and for women, trans and gender-diverse survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) to champion survivor led innovations in the domestic & family violence field. She is a Black intersectional abolitionist feminist, international speaker & trainer, she is an expert advisory panel member of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability and sits on several advisory Boards and committees, including the Federal Advisory Council on the Federal Strategy Against GBV, and co-founded the Black Femicide Canada Council.

Now available! Mapping the Perpetrator’s Pattern: A Practitioner’s Tool for Improving Assessment, Intervention, and Outcomes The web-based Perpetrator Pattern Mapping Tool is a virtual practice tool for improving assessment, intervention, and outcomes through a perpetrator pattern-based approach. The tool allows practitioners to apply the Model’s critical concepts and principles to their current case load in real

Check out David Mandel's new book "Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to transform the way we keep children safe from domestic violence."