Personal and Structural Barriers Reporting Intimate Partner Violence to the Police: A Systematic Review of Women’s Experiences and Societal Influences

Abstract

Barriers to reporting intimate partner violence (IPV) to the police represent a critical public health problem affecting women. Using a critical perspective, this systematic review aims to analyze the interconnection of the barriers to police reporting encountered by women experiencing IPV, particularly as these are exacerbated by immigration status, ethnicity, and minority background. A systematic review of the published literature from 2013 to 2024 was conducted using Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. A total of 25 peer-reviewed studies were included in the final analysis. For the assessment of the methodological quality of the selected studies, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), suitable for reviews integrating quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, was used. Most of the selected studies (n = 18) reported personal barriers to formal reporting, including social isolation, shame, fear of consequences, lack of information, distrust in services, low educational level, and economic instability. However, other studies (n = 7) uncovered additional barriers, such as biases about the “ideal victim,” frustration with the “cycle of violence,” poor training and awareness of IPV, and limited coordination between legal and police resources. This review highlights that personal barriers (e.g., fear, mistrust) are not individual deficits but rational responses to the institutional and structural barriers (e.g., police culture, racism) that shape women’s experiences. The findings call for a shift in paradigm, moving the focus from women’s decisions to systemic failures.