Why are we here?

The the arena of domestic violence (DV) work, we most often hear of our resources being allotted to DV survivors and their children.  Survivors are empowered to be independent, be in control of their safety, and provide their children with physically and emotionally safe situations.  Children receive counseling to process the violence they witnessed and the terrifying fact that someone you love could treat another person you love with such disrespect for safety.  This blog is NOT intended to negate the extremely important and vital work being done with survivors and children, but it is intended to challenge our thoughts around intervening in the cycle of violence. 

If you were asked to pick a charity to donate to, are were given the following two options, which would you choose?

1. Counseling services for *women  that have endured violence at the hands of their intimate partner. 
2. Services provided to *men who batter and abuse their intimate partners.  

If you are like more of our population, you likely chose number 1.  Helping victims/survivors of DV again, is very important.  With each person you help in this respect, you are helping them heal from a painful past, hopefully increasing their ability to recognize battering tactics, and reducing the amount of violent relationships she, and possibly her children, are part of in the future.  When we intervene with men, we have the ability to not only help someone heal from a likely painful past, but potentially ending their pattern of battering, which could impact every intimate partner they have hereon out, which prevents future women falling prey to DV. 

The life of this blog will aim to not only challenge our thinking toward perpetrator work, but also away from the currently heavy emphasis of "reaction" and toward a place of "prevention."  How can we implement this material in our schools?  How can we prevent our youth from not only being victim to violence in relationships, but perpetrating violence in relationships?  Join us as we uncover these questions...


*Throughout this blog you will hear us often refer to victims/survivors of domestic violence as women, and perpetrators of domestic violence as men.  While these are the typical statistics that we see, we are not ignorant or ignoring the real fact that women also are capable of using battering tactics against men, and DV can exist within the LGBTQ community.