Focus on perpetrator programmes as a consequence of domestic abuse rates during COVID

 

 

 

 

Many journalists, domestic violence charities and police forces globally have reported increased levels of domestic abuse during COVID. This includes reporting increased calls to domestic abuse helplines, in one city in Hubei, the centre of the pandemic in China, reports of domestic violence have doubled, according to a local news website. MPs in the UK found that the first three weeks of lockdown saw the highest number of killings of women of any 21-day period in the past decade.

One consequence of these findings is the focus on academic research that is looking at the effectiveness of intervention with high harm, high risk and serial perpetrators and evaluation. The article below highlights Drive and their partnership between Respect, SafeLives, and Social Finance. This programme has been piloted in three areas in England and Wales from 2016 and involves intensive case management, working closely with victim services, the police, probation, children’s social services and housing, substance misuse and mental health teams. Some journalists are also focusing on the importance of offering services and responding to perpetrators not just victims.

You can access the DRIVE evaluation here.

Unpacking the ‘man box’ – Australian researchers release study findings on masculinity

 

 

 

 

Australian researchers have released a report from a study investigating masculinity and young men’s attitudes (The Men’s Project and Flood, 2018). This was the first study that focused specifically on the associations between attitudes to manhood or masculinity and the behaviours of Australian men aged 18-30. It involved a representative online survey of 1,000 young men from across the country.

Two thirds of young men said that since they were a boy they had been told a “real man” behaves in a certain way. While young men’s personal views are more progressive than what society is telling them, there was a substantial minority (around 30 percent)  who endorsed most of the Man Box rules.

The seven main man box rules were: 

Self sufficiency: men who talk about their worries too much shouldn’t get respect

Acting tough: if a man doesn’t fight back, he is weak

Physical attractiveness: a successful man must look good, but if a man spends too much time on his appearance that is unmanly

Rigid masculine gender roles: cooking, sewing or providing care of young children is not manly

Hypersexuality: a real man should have as many sexual partners as possible and he doesn’t say no to sex

Heterosexuality and homophobia: ‘real men’ are not gay and heterosexual men do not have gay male friends

Aggression and control: men should use violence to get respect if necessary

This study quantifies the unique influence of young men’s personal endorsement of the Man Box masculinity pillars on different areas of their lives, including:  mental health, wellbeing and help seeking from friends/professionals;  body satisfaction;  relationship satisfaction;  binge drinking;  traffic accidents; accessing pornography; and physical violence, sexual harassment  and bullying.

You can find out more and access the report here.