Beyond the Stigma: Exploring the Relationship between Victimized Mothers and Their Children
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Joshua Masters
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Paper Presentation
Abstract
The bond between a mother and child begins from the moment of a woman’s pregnancy. While mother-child relationship is considered with high regard, the change in context can make the society frown upon this otherwise treasured relationship. The Western society, in the present day, stigmatizes the bond between a child and a mother who has been abducted and raped. This binary world longs to categorize the mother-child relationship as a lovable one, or one in which the child is despised. However, not everything fits into the labels created by the binary system and this research analyzes the relationships between women who have been abducted and raped and their children. The research is based on the novel “Room” by Emma Donoghue in comparison to the Fritzl case, a real life abduction and rape which hit the media in 2008 and inspired the novel. In addition, many other case studies of victimized women and their children are also analyzed to compare and contrast such relationships with those who are born in “normal” (out of relationships or love) conditions. The study sought to find answers to how the mother-child relationships outside what is considered “normal” are stigmatized, how despite the context of the pregnancy, a mother can still desire to have a loving relationship with her child, and how this stigma re-victimizes the mother while also victimizing the innocent child who had no control over the situation through which he/she was conceived. The results of the study are essential to understand the relationship between a victimized mother and child, which may remain pure despite the past conditions, avoid re-victimization and also to eliminate the stigma associated with raped mothers and their children. It is recommended that this study continues beyond the novel and identifies the creation of suitable environments to facilitate the re-integration of raped mothers and their children into the society.
Keywords
Mother-child relationships, rape, abduction, re-victimization, stigma
Location
Room 2903
Presentation Year
2015
Start Date
11-7-2015 9:00 AM
End Date
11-7-2015 10:00 AM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Michael, V. Michelle, "Beyond the Stigma: Exploring the Relationship between Victimized Mothers and Their Children" (2015). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 9.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2015/2015/9
Beyond the Stigma: Exploring the Relationship between Victimized Mothers and Their Children
Room 2903
The bond between a mother and child begins from the moment of a woman’s pregnancy. While mother-child relationship is considered with high regard, the change in context can make the society frown upon this otherwise treasured relationship. The Western society, in the present day, stigmatizes the bond between a child and a mother who has been abducted and raped. This binary world longs to categorize the mother-child relationship as a lovable one, or one in which the child is despised. However, not everything fits into the labels created by the binary system and this research analyzes the relationships between women who have been abducted and raped and their children. The research is based on the novel “Room” by Emma Donoghue in comparison to the Fritzl case, a real life abduction and rape which hit the media in 2008 and inspired the novel. In addition, many other case studies of victimized women and their children are also analyzed to compare and contrast such relationships with those who are born in “normal” (out of relationships or love) conditions. The study sought to find answers to how the mother-child relationships outside what is considered “normal” are stigmatized, how despite the context of the pregnancy, a mother can still desire to have a loving relationship with her child, and how this stigma re-victimizes the mother while also victimizing the innocent child who had no control over the situation through which he/she was conceived. The results of the study are essential to understand the relationship between a victimized mother and child, which may remain pure despite the past conditions, avoid re-victimization and also to eliminate the stigma associated with raped mothers and their children. It is recommended that this study continues beyond the novel and identifies the creation of suitable environments to facilitate the re-integration of raped mothers and their children into the society.
