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Strategies for Preventing Men’s Violence against Women

Interventions

Interventions are organized attempts to get someone to change their behavior and/or seek professional help for some issue they are having through direct confrontation. These tend to be arranged by people close to the person or the problem and can entail working with an intervention counselor, who is often a psychologist or social worker. Typically in situations of domestic violence, the victim of the abuse is the target of the intervention and encouraged to seek help to get out of the situation. A successful intervention requires careful planning and research about the problem so that the intervention team can make informed contributions to the meeting. Part of the planning involves the members of the intervention team writing letters detailing how the situation has impacted their lives and how it has made them feel. Another key aspect of the meeting is describing the potential consequences of the situation, which in the case of domestic violence could be death. While the help of an intervention counselor is not absolutely necessary for a successful intervention, utilizing one should be especially considered in cases of domestic violence if the intervention team expects their loved one to react with extreme anger or denial. Many would likely find an intervention counselor’s skills particularly useful in helping victims of domestic violence as they may make use of therapeutic techniques during the meeting, so if the team is able to afford the service then it is often worth it.

Workshops

Workshops are interactive group activities that are educational in nature and are used in a variety of situations, including combating violence. Their format is similar to focus groups in that they engage people about their opinions and are a means for collecting more information than a survey would. Many organizations utilize workshops to spread information about preventing violence against women and engaging violent offenders. White Ribbon, the world’s largest organization of men and boys seeking to end violence against women and girls, puts on a variety of workshops that aim to get at the root of gender based violence and help create a future without it. White Ribbon hosts workshops in a variety of places for people from all walks of life for many different topics, such as with middle through post-secondary students and teachers to promote gender equality in school settings. Workshops targeting young individuals can go a long way toward preventing them from becoming abusers later in life by exposing them to the effects of abuse and teaching effective problem solving skills.

Conferences & Public Programs

Conferences can raise awareness of violence against women, educate participants, and help to prevent further violence. Many organizations utilize this technique. Organizations such as the White Ribbon, an organization founded in Canada following the 1989 massacre of 14 female college students at Montreal’s L’ Ecole Polytechnique, empower communities across the globe with knowledge and materials to host programs and events aimed at preventing violence perpetrated against women. They follow a three-step prevention system including: Living the White Ribbon Oath, which includes committing to be aware of how your behavior influences others, raising awareness among your friends and colleagues using information they provide, and challenging sexist or violent behavior by speaking up about it; Breaking the Silence Against Violence by discussing the issue whenever possible at public events and programs, posting a blog or writing an opinion piece for your local newspaper raising awareness, and utilizing social networks like Facebook or Twitter to raise awareness; Thirdly, the White Ribbon Campaign specifically calls on its participants to host White Ribbon Events to generate issue awareness and raise funds.

Conferences can be done in a variety of contexts. They can differ in size, target audiences, location, etc. In regards to the prevention of violence against women, conferences will typically involve the aforementioned elements of awareness, education, and steps for change. Another example is the annual conference the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women holds. In March of 2013, the Commission on the Status of Women will host a conference in New York City (UN Headquarters) that focuses on the theme of the “Elimination and Prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.” Here are the goals of this particular conference: to raise awareness of existing commitments and standards for ending violence against women, create a platform for sharing ideas and strategies that work and bring results, identifying key areas and issues where consensus needs strengthening, and to foster dialogue and build alliances.” A conference schedule illustrates that an overview of the issue will be discussed as well as the current predicament, panel discussions will occur, and there will be opportunity to have discussion and ask questions. A conference that aims to prevent domestic violence should educate attendees on the issue at hand, allow for discussion and questions, and give tangible steps for preventing the issue. Ideally, individuals would always leave conferences feeling empowered with skills and techniques to prevent violence against women in some capacity.

Media

Media, especially online media, has become increasingly valuable in the campaign to prevent men's perpetration of violence against women. A large portion of local, national and international organizations have a digital media component that accompanies their other tactics of violence prevention. The specific topics and formats of digital media can vary from organization to organization, but generally the focus is on educating men about violence, the role they play in specific violent acts, intervention methods if violence is observed and alternative expressions of masculinity that do not rely on violent acts.

There are many different organizations that utilize media in number of unique and engaging ways. One of the best examples of such an organization is Higher Unlearning, which is an online organization created by Jeff Perera, who is a Community Manager for the White Ribbon Campaign. Higher Unlearning provides a range utilize a number of different media forms to promote their message. Informational videos are used to educate viewers and more engaging videos, such as spoken word presentations, are used to challenge viewers and assist them in making an emotional connection with the issue of men's violence. Higher Unlearning, and other sites like it, are also very useful because they provide an outlet for stories and points of view that are typically ignored in mainstream media. Topics of such articles include the role gender plays in mass shootings, incidences of men preventing violence and portrayals of masculinity and violence in popular culture.

Online media is also useful because it makes specific information and resources available to a large portion of the United States. Numerous TED Talks, which are formal presentations created and delivered by professionals in different fields, focus on violence prevention and contributing factors to men's violence against women. These talks are not only informative, but also present information in an understandable and approachable way. There are also numerous sites, such as the Violence Against Women Resources site and Domestic Violence Resource Center site, that provide signals of potential abuse/violence but also tools to assess and promote healthy interpersonal relationships. These tools can be utilized by individuals or couples to assess whether their relationship is healthy and identify potentially violent or destructive behaviors. These types provide a way for problematic behaviors to be identified and addressed, and could potentially prevent future incidences of violence.

Resources

Services to assist those experiencing domestic violence range from the local to the international level and come in a variety of forms. Below are several examples of resources and how to utilize them:

The Hotline

The Hotline is a national domestic violence hotline. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services.

HelpGuide.org

HelpGuide.org is an online non-profit that provides ad-free resources to help you resolve health challenges. HelpGuide has extensive information and resources available for abused or battered women. Information is available regarding getting out of an abusive relationship, making the decision to leave, safety planning, protecting your privacy, domestic violence shelters, protecting yourself after you’ve left an abusive relationship, and taking steps to heal and move on.

HelpPRO.com & PsychologyToday.com

HelpPRO.com is an online organization that is dedicated to finding users a therapist that matches their needs. PsychologyToday.com has an online directory that allows users to locate a therapist by providing detailing listings for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Therapists, Counselors, Group Therapists and Treatment Centers throughout the United States and Canada. Those experiencing domestic violence or family members of those experiencing it can utilize these resources to locate a therapist to assist in the situation, as an intervention counselor for example.

References

Hodjusti (talk) 15:19, 5 February 2013 (UTC) /sandbox3