Abolition Feminism and Gendered Violence: Beyond Transformative Justice

Abstract Book of the 7th International Conference on Gender Studies and Sexuality

Year: 2026

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Abolition Feminism and Gendered Violence: Beyond Transformative Justice

Dr Nikki Godden-Rasul

ABSTRACT:

There has been increasing pressure from feminists to improve the criminal legal response to gendered violence, and criminalise new technology facilitated forms of violence, within the UK and beyond. However, abolition feminist critiques of the criminal legal system and other carceral institutions highlight the ways that they increase and enable gendered violence, as well as enact racialised, colonial and other forms of state violence. Abolition feminists have thus argued for transformative justice – a community-based approach to accountability and healing from violence which connects the transformation of every-day relationships with transforming social relations. This has resulted in a sharp divide between the criminal law and community-based approaches, which masks the complex and diverse perspectives abolitionists have on the law. Drawing attention to abolitionist praxis beyond community accountability, I argue that broader and longer traditions of abolitionist and feminist praxis need to be brought into the frame. Crucially, this means greater consideration of the potential of law as a part of abolition feminist politics. I draw on examples from abolitionist praxis to show how different areas of law can be used in different ways for abolition feminist struggles.

Keywords: Gendered Violence, Abolition Feminism, Transformative Justice, Criminal Legal System, Legal Mobilisation