Empowering Families to face Domestic Violence

1. Empowering Families to face Domestic Violence Lucia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Williams

2. The goal of this presentation is to report LAPREV's Domestic Violence Experience in the city of São Carlos, Brazil

3. Departmentof Psychology Since 1998 www.ufscar.br/laprev

4. LAPREV Research Teaching Consultation Intervention Prevention Women’s Police Station/ Health-School Unit Child Protection Agency Office Gravelina Lemes Shelter São Carlos

5. Why did we do it? • Professional and Personal Reason - Violence against women is a serious public health concern in the world and particularly in Brazil 1997-2005

6. What do we look for? • A health intervention approach based in gender equality to teach women to gain control over their lives and free themselves from violence symptoms • Teach men conflict resolution skills based in Human Rights • Prevent children from becoming aggressive or overly passive

7. How did we do it? • It all started in 1998 at the local Women's Police Station • No other services for supporting such women then

8. Implementation Process – first phase (1998) Partnership with the municipality of São Carlos (Secretary of Citizenship and Social Assistance): • Bus passes (most women are poor, Afro-Brazilian women are over-represented), many migrant women from Brazil's Northern States • 20 % of the São Carlos population is Afro-Brazilian • Initial hotel support for women in danger

9. Implementation – phase 2 (2001) • Inauguration of Gravelina T. Lemes shelter for women at risk of fatal violence and children • How it was possible: Partnership + advocacy Reason for the shelter name: Lessons from Gravelina

10. Phase 3: Health-School Unit (USE) - 2006 • Insertion of work with women & men in the Health System • Opportunity for Inter- disciplinary work

11. USE has ideal research, intervention and teaching facilities It has a home replica lab!

12. Observation room adjacent the house

13. Intervention with children • Still at LAPREV's office at CPS agency • I International Meeting on Child Sexual Abuse (USE partnership with city's Health Department, ISPCAN & others), 2007 • 600 professionals for 3 days • Book in press as a result

14. Example of one Intervention Program: Project Parceria • Project Parceria has 2 units: • 1) A Psychotherapeutic one (8 sessions) aimed at analyzing the impact that violence may have had in the participant's lives and empower them to change. • 2) An Educational unit (8 sessions) to teach mothering skills

16. What did we achieve? Results • Over the years we have worked with about 800 people, 60 at USE • Good feedback from clients, students and the community • Evidence Based Practice resulting in many publications – www.ufscar.br/laprev • Quality and quantitative dada • First publication in a Brazilian journal re intervention with batterer (Padovani & Williams, 2002).

17. Individual case study with batterer (Padovani & Williams, 2002)

18. Group Intervention with Men (Cortez, Padovani & Williams, 2005)Conflict Tactic Scale Scores over the months

19. How did we sustain it? • Community outreach from a Public University • Partnership with the city – 2 special mayors • Research Grants • Project Parceria: • Free booklets: A life free of violence & Raising your child in a Positive way

20. Some of the lessons learned • Prevention is the key • Male intervention is a priority! • Recent developments: • School which protects – Ministry of Education • Working with Adolescent parents • Working with incarcerated women & their children

22. Thank you!!!