It’s Got to Stop
Abusive behavior is ANY act used to hurt or control another person.
Understanding the Problem of Men’s Violence Against Women
Violence against women includes wife assault, date rape, sexual harassment, stalking, domineering and controlling behaviors, unwanted sexual advances, demeaning sexist jokes, and murder.
Why does it occur?
Many men are not violent. In fact, a majority of men are not physically violent against women. But we live in a society that raises men to believe that aggression and violence are acceptable forms of self-expression. Young boys are encouraged to demonstrate strength and dominance rather than empathetic, caring, and nurturing attributes – characteristics that are devalued and seen as “feminine”. We forget that the strongest people are the most self-aware and caring ones. Socializing processes teach men to equate masculinity with power and the ability to control others with less power. As a result, some men learn to express their masculinity by using verbal or physical violence against women.
EVERY 9 SECONDS
In the United States, every 9 seconds a woman is battered and every year about 4,000,000 women are battered by their partners (Domestic Violence, 2005).
One-fourth of all homicides
In the US are between family members and 40% of all women who are murdered die at the hands of their husbands or lovers.
80% of Men
In America’s prisons were abused as children.
Spousal Abuse
Is equally common among upper and lower-income families, and slightly more prevalent among middle-income families.
Has domestic violence always existed?
Research over the past 100 years tells us there were once many societies with little or no violence against women, violence among men, or violence against children. In fact, half of the tribal societies investigated by anthropologists showed little or no violence. The fact that violence does not occur in all societies tells us that violence among humans is not genetic or biologically necessary, but is the result of the way we set up our societies. Those societies with violence are those in which women are second-class citizens. Where there is equality between men and women, there is little or no violence.
Men’s violence against women has its roots in the way we have historically regarded women and men. For about eight to ten thousand years, men in most societies have held positions of privilege, while women have been cast in subservient roles. In effect, women were treated as property. Until this century, women were denied such basic rights as the right to vote, to pursue a career, to own property, and to pursue higher education. Even today, some countries still deny these basic rights to women.
-From Parish Social Ministry, Archdiocese of Chicago
Family Violence Intervention Programs
FVIP is an educational program for both men and women who are domestic violence offenders.
FVIP is a non-profit organization that provides educational classes through The Duluth Model curriculum to referred to domestic violence offenders and volunteer participants. The majority of clients are court-ordered as a condition of probation, but many are referred by the Office of Community Services as part of their case plan or by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Victim’s Services. Male and female classes are offered. FVIP offers the program without discrimination to age, race, gender, socio-economic class, or geographic region. The average age of the FVIP client is 29.
Initiative Sponsorship
