Unpublished paper presented at Women's Studies Association Conference, Christchurch.

This conference paper outlines the tactics of power and control used by men in gangs, and makes recommendations for working with women who have experienced both gang and domestic violence. The researcher draws on interviews conducted for a master's thesis and on practice experience, arguing that the typical tactics of abusers are strengthened by the male collective culture of gangs. Using the power and control wheel model, the researcher describes tactics of male privilege, physical violence, coercion and threats, emotional abuse, isolation, rape, and sexual assault that were experienced by the women who were interviewed. The researcher outlines the reasons why the women found it hard to leave, and maintains that many social service agencies do not understand gang women's realities, are afraid to get involved, and have inadequate strategies for keeping gang women safe.

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