Doctoral Defense in Disability Studies: Eliona Gjecaj

Doctoral Defense in Disability Studies – Eliona Gjecaj

Eliona Gjecaj will defend her PhD thesis in Disability Studies at the Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology, and Folkloristics, University of Iceland. The oral defense will take place on June 19th at 13:00-15:00 in the Aula (Ceremonial Hall) of the University of Iceland’s main building.

The thesis is titled Disabled Women and Violence: Access to Justice

About the dissertation:

This dissertation explores access to justice for disabled women who have been subjected to gender-based violence. The research was conducted in Iceland and foregrounds the intersectional nature of the multiple forms of discrimination these women face, emphasizing their right to live free from violence and abuse, and their right to access justice as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Scholarship in this area remains surprisingly limited; therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to address this gap by creating new and much needed knowledge about the experiences of disabled women as well as of those who support them through the processes of detection, reporting, investigation and prosecution of violence. Drawing on 36 in-depth interviews, document analysis and field observations, the study documents the lived experiences of violence described by disabled women, detailing its multiple forms and complex manifestations. The findings highlight the low rates of reporting and explore the multifaceted reasons underlying this, including how the women conceptualise justice in relation to the barriers they face. The research also provides a critical lens on broader issues concerning access to justice for disabled women. The research calls on Icelandic authorities to take meaningful action to protect disabled women from the pervasive violence they face and fulfil their duty to provide reasonable and procedural accommodation within the Icelandic justice system.

Opponents: Dr. Theresia Degener, Professor Emeritus, Protestant University for Applied Sciences, Germany, and Dr. Karen Soldatić, Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.

Principal supervisor: Dr. Rannveig Traustadóttir, Professor Emerita, Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology, and Folkloristics, University of Iceland

PhD committee: Dr. Anna Lawson, Professor, Leeds University, United Kingdom, Dr. James Gordon Rice, Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology, and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, and Helga Baldvins Bjargardóttir, Adjunct Lecturer, School of Education, University of Iceland.

The ceremony will be conducted by Dr. Unnur Dís Skaptadóttir, Professor at the Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology, and Folkloristics, University of Iceland.

All are welcome.