This paper explores instances of agency in women’s responses to intimate partner
violence (IPV) in Rwanda. The literature on women’s responses to IPV
conceptualises agency primarily as an individual’s capacity to take action by reporting
violence or leaving a relationship, obscuring other ways women may respond to
violence in contexts where reporting or leaving are unlikely. We aim to replace this
narrow conceptualisation of agency with a social constructivist focus on the meanings
women attribute to possible IPV responses. We draw on data from a study of IPV in
Rwanda, which includes semi-structured interviews with women experiencing
violence and four focus group discussions with women community members (n=39).
Our findings highlight socio-cultural, economic, political-legal and historical
constraints that shape women's actions in this context. In relation to these constraints,
women describe four possible responses to IPV: reporting the violence; seeking
emotional support; ‘fighting back’ against violence (including leaving the
relationship); or remaining silent. While reporting and leaving violent relationships
are identified, women also discuss the social constraints that make these actions
extremely difficult in Rwanda. In designing effective strategies, we conclude that
public health strategies need to consider women’s understandings of their own
actions, particularly in social contexts where certain actions may be highly
constrained.