This is Qiyamah coming at you again in cyberspace. I know I said I have left the field of DV but clearly I have not. :) Yes, these issues are compelling and I have to add my two cents to Janey's question about culturally sensitive approaches to batterers programs.
I have noticed some distinctions in how some historically oppressed groups approach batterers treatment/programs. As an African American I wanted our men to be held accountable and I was also aware of the historical racism and genocide perpetrated by the very institutions we were seeking that accountability from. The criminal justice institutions as we know have been particularly notorious. Thus, an holistic approach often reflected such awareness and a model that viewed batterers as part of the group that needed to be re educated but not cut off from the community. So the need to work systemically because we still saw batterers as part of a community at risk and subject to attack from the dominant culture. So instead of "isolating" our men and making them even more vulnerable to a system that had also victimized women of color through its racism as well as sexism many of us looked at more culturally specific "interventions" and approaches. that intended to reintegrate batterers. There seemed also a greater ability to separate their behavior from the personalities and not to "demonize" the men as many European American advocates were so willing to do with European American batterers. The social controls that worked for European batterers, many people of color were not sure they would be used fairly to hold men of color accountable. I am sure I will hear from other men and women of color that do not share this analysis. Remember we are tot monolithic and do not all think alike! :) I have done a very poor job of trying to explain why some communities of color take a different approach but if my memory serves me correctly check this out with Tilly Black Bear and others. I saw a similar approach in how they worked with their Native American batterers and I have seem this in other communities of color. I will say years ago I was initially angry and suspicious that men of color were being "let off the hook" by misinformed persons using a culturally sensitive model. But I began to understand that the "hatred and anger and rage" that I felt about the violence against women that I witnessed and personally experienced would not be eliminated by perpetrating the same violence on batterers. And that we had to create a model that was not based on the same violence. Misuse of power is never justified! Because I am away from home where my resources are at I do not have the names and contacts that would be helpful to Janey and others that want to explore culturally sensitive approaches to batterers treatment. Possibly searching on Internet might reveal some sources. But here are some that might help: In Georgia there is Raksha, an east Indian battered women's program. They do not have a batterers program but they can refer you if any exist Men Stopping Violence (MSV)- they were working on culturally specific batterers programs, that is, one that addressed specifically African American men when I left . Ask for either Ulester Douglas or Sulaiman Nurrideen. The Refuge Women's group, whose specific name I don't remember, but MSV can refer you, also will have some thoughts to share since they address the broad range of battered refugee women and actually started a shelter. One of the reasons was the mainstream shelters did not understand the sensitive issues of refugee women. Beth Ritchey, PhD - worked with the National coalition Ag. DV for years and in her local state coalition and went on to obtain a PhD with her intriguing dissertation and book on Gender Entrapment. She also is on the board of the African American DV Institute. They have a number of individuals that have worked with African American batterers using culturally specific paradigms. They really generated some excellent papers on the work they were doing and will have a lot of the research and academic info that can best inform you. Qiyamah A. Rahman P.S. I was fortunate to meet the director of the DV program in the Fiji Islands years ago. Looking at how programs are done outside this country is another possibility as well. In a message dated 1/31/2002 11:58:24 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Does anyone know of research that evaluates the effect of batterer > intervention programs that are "holistic," or more focused on "healthy > relationships" than on directly challenging the violence and acknowledging > the socialization, etc.? And does anyone know of research on batterer > intervention programs and/or community-based prevention programs in the > Pacific Islander communities, either in the U.S. or in the Pacific or > elsewhere? > ***End-violence is sponsored by UNIFEM and receives generous support from ICAP*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe end-violence OR type: unsubscribe end-violence Archives of previous End-violence messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/end-violence/hypermail/
