Domestic Violence Law in Global Perspective: Trends, Gaps, and Insights from Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that affects millions of individuals globally, transcending cultural, economic, and social boundaries. This study examines global scholarly trends, gaps and insight on domestic violence law by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis aimed at identifying research patterns, dominant themes, and emerging areas of inquiry. Domestic violence continues to present significant legal and social challenges worldwide, yet the breadth and evolution of academic contributions in this field remain insufficiently mapped, creating a gap in understanding how legal scholarship has responded to shifting global dynamics. To address this gap, the study collected data using the Scopus advanced search function, yielding a final dataset of 1053 publications that met the predefined criteria. The methodological process involved statistical and graphical examination through the Scopus Analyzer, followed by data cleaning and harmonisation using OpenRefine to ensure accuracy and consistency across author names, keywords, and institutional affiliations. Subsequently, VOSviewer was employed to generate visualisations of co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence structures, and thematic clusters, enabling deeper interpretation of intellectual linkages and research trajectories. The numerical results show a marked increase in publication activity over the last decade, a concentration of contributions from high income countries, and the prominence of core research themes such as intimate partner violence, policing, gender-based discrimination, child protection, and international legal frameworks. Network visualisation further demonstrates the formation of several coherent clusters that reflect interdisciplinary intersections between law, criminology, public health, and social policy. In conclusion, the findings provide an integrated overview of global academic engagement with domestic violence law, offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to understand current knowledge structures and future research directions in this critical legal domain.