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Aboriginal Men’s Programs Tackling Family Violence: A Scoping Review
Abstract
Academic and community research identifies that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at a greater risk of being exposed to family violence than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. While much of the literature has had a clear focus on the protection of Aboriginal women and children, there is a dearth of research that has examined the nature and efficacy of Aboriginal programs that seek to address men’s use of violence. In recent times, governments, policy makers, and community organisations have all sought to gain a greater understanding of how men’s group programs, that are specifically aimed at tackling family violence, are addressing these issues.
Utilising a scoping review methodology, this paper examined and summarised the available Australian and international literature available pertaining to these programs. Furthermore, from the findings of the scoping review the authors present a conceptual model for the purpose of discussing the complexities of tackling family violence issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men’s group programs.
... What is available is a scoping review by Gallant et al. (2017) that examines existing Australian and international Indigenous men's programs addressing family violence, which are developed and run by community controlled organisations. The authors identified that holistic approaches to programs in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context must be multidimensional in their approach and involve work with men, women and children (Brown & Languedoc, 2004;Gallant et al., 2017). ...
... What is available is a scoping review by Gallant et al. (2017) that examines existing Australian and international Indigenous men's programs addressing family violence, which are developed and run by community controlled organisations. The authors identified that holistic approaches to programs in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context must be multidimensional in their approach and involve work with men, women and children (Brown & Languedoc, 2004;Gallant et al., 2017). To demonstrate this holistic approach to addressing the complexities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait the program by social services and family courts. ...
Partner contact involves working with the current or ex-partners of a program participant to provide them with support, information and safety planning. This evidence suggests that every woman with a current or former partner involved with such a program should be offered this kind of support from the program or a partner organisation. This research report provides a deeper understanding of how men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) support women and children through contact with them throughout the process.
The research shows that when MBCPs do not support victims/survivors of domestic violence and involve them in the process of change through partner contact, perpetrators may use their participation in the program as an opportunity to further their abuse. Similarly, if a man stops attending his behaviour change program, the risk to his partner or ex-partners is likely to increase.
It is important that victims/survivors have contact with support services that is not dependent on the behaviour of their abusers. In many cases, partner contact is also the first interaction that women and their children have had with formal services. As such, it is a crucial first pathway to support.
However, the findings show that across the various kinds of Australian perpetrator interventions, there is no consistent approach to involving partners in this process. The study also found that in practice partner contact is often not prioritised, as it is labour-intensive and resources are limited.
Implications for policy and practice can be found in the Key Findings and Future Directions paper accompanying this report. A Practice Guide has also been developed to help frontline workers apply the new evidence and prioritise victim/survivor safety when working with perpetrators of domestic and family violence.
... 8). Parmi les études qui concernent les auteurs de VCC, la notion de guérison apparaît presque seulement dans les études en contexte autochtone (Andrews et al., 2021;Brassard et al., 2017;Gallant et al., 2017). Toutefois, le terme « guérison » ne fait pas l'unanimité en contexte autochtone. ...
RÉSUMÉ: La prévalence et la persistance de la violence en contexte conjugal sont préoccupantes dans les communautés autochtones (Brassard et al., 2011, 2015). En effet, les hommes (54 %) et les femmes (61 %) autochtones sont plus susceptibles d’être victimes de violence en contexte conjugal que les allochtones (36 % et 44 %, respectivement) (Cotter, 2021). La présente étude vise à comprendre comment les hommes autochtones mettent fin à la violence en contexte conjugal. D’une part, l’objectif est d’explorer le sens donné à l’arrêt de la violence en contexte conjugal. D’autre part, l’étude s’intéresse aux récits et aux processus de bifurcation vers cet arrêt de la violence. Des entretiens qualitatifs ont été menés auprès de six hommes innus et innus-naskapis ayant vécu de la violence bidirectionnelle ou unidirectionnelle.
Les résultats démontrent que la plupart des hommes identifient les contextes coloniaux, communautaires et familiaux comme des sources de la violence en contexte conjugal. L’intersection entre un contexte d’épuisement et de déstabilisation crée un environnement propice aux processus de bifurcation vers l’arrêt de la violence en contexte conjugal. Trois types de processus de bifurcation sont développés, mettant en évidence différentes conceptions de l’arrêt de la violence : 1) un processus « spontané, mais inachevé », 2) un processus « constant et efficient » et 3) un processus « mouvementé et abouti ». Ces processus impliquent des apprentissages sur le passé, la violence et la communauté pour développer une posture non-violente. Souvent accompagnés de diverses sources de soutien, les hommes résolvent les sources de la violence afin d’apaiser leurs souffrances et ainsi réagir différemment aux expériences éprouvantes.
Mots-clés : Autochtones, hommes autochtones, violence conjugale, récit, victime, désistement, bifurcation, violence bidirectionnelle, guérison, qualitatif.
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ABSTRACT: The prevalence and persistence of violence within the conjugal context in Indigenous communities are concerning (Brassard et al., 2012, 2015). In fact, Indigenous men (54%) and women (61%) are more likely to be victims of violence within the conjugal context than non-Indigenous people (36% and 44%, respectively) (Cotter, 2021). This study aims to understand how Indigenous men end violence within the conjugal context. On the one hand, the objective is to explore the meaning given to ending violence within the conjugal context. On the other hand, the study focuses on the narratives and bifurcation processes towards ending violence. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six Innu and Innu-Naskapi men who had experienced bidirectional or unidirectional violence.
Findings show that most men identify colonial, community, and family contexts as sources of violence within the conjugal context. The intersection between a context of exhaustion and destabilization creates an environment conducive to the bifurcation processes towards ending violence within the conjugal context. Three types of bifurcation processes are proposed, highlighting different conceptions of violence cessation: 1) a “spontaneous, but incomplete” process, 2) a “constant and efficient” process and 3) a “hectic and thorough” process. These processes involve learning about the past, violence and the community, in order to develop a non-violent posture. Often accompanied by various sources of support, men resolve the sources of violence to alleviate their suffering and thus react differently to distressing experiences.
Keywords: Indigenous, Indigenous men, conjugal violence, victim, desistance, healing, qualitative, bifurcation, narrative, bidirectional violence.
... Developing insight into the service needs and experiences of perpetrators is another important area that requires urgent attention. It is critical that engagement of perpetrators with services and effective interventions be improved (Diemer et al., 2020;Gallant et al., 2017;Humphreys, Diemer, et al., 2019). Yet, it is unclear how this could best be achieved, since this is an area that has been largely neglected in extant research (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018; Humphreys & Campo, 2017). ...
Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are common issues in the community that have negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of women and children victims and survivors. Understanding patterns of abuse and violence and the help-seeking behaviours and needs of both those who experience IPV and/or SV and those people who use IPV and/or SV are needed to inform policy and practice. There has been limited in-depth data collected in Australia that can inform the policy and practice reform needed to support victims and survivors on their pathway to safety and healing, or to engage people who use IPV and/or SV to seek help for their abusive behaviours.
... Though our review identified a small number of studies focused on interventions and perspectives of men and boys, the available services for males as both children and adults, as both victims of violence and those who harm others, represents a gap in the available family violence interventions [49,55,56,64]. Our study excluded articles with a focus on the judicial system, where some of this literature may be found; however, this gap also reflects the relatively early stages of research on culturally safe services for Indigenous male victims and male perpetrators [91]. Additional research on how to best organize, support, and operationalize co-designed victim/perpetrator services in a culturally safe way is also needed. ...
This systematic scoping review synthesizes the recommended approaches for providing culturally safe family violence interventions to Indigenous peoples in health care and social service settings. A total of 3783 sources were identified through our electronic database searches, hand-searching of Indigenous-focused journals, and backward and forward citation chaining. After screening those sources in duplicate, 28 papers were included for synthesis in June 2020. Forward citation chaining of these 28 included articles in June 2022 identified an additional 304 possible articles for inclusion; following the screening of those 304 articles, an additional 6 were retained in the review. Thus, a total of 34 articles were included for data extraction and narrative synthesis. Initial results were presented to members of the Six Nations of the Grand River Youth Mental Wellness Committee, and their feedback was incorporated into our inductive organization of findings. Our findings represent three thematic areas that reflect key recommendations for health care and social service provision to Indigenous families for whom family violence is a concern: (1) creating the conditions for cultural safety; (2) healing at the individual and community level; and (3) system-level change. These findings demonstrate the need to center Indigenous peoples and perspectives in the development and implementation of cultural safety approaches, to acknowledge and address historically contingent causes of past and present family violence including colonization and related state policies, and to transform knowledge and power relationships at the provider, organization, and government level.
... 70 A number of studies promote holistic, trauma-informed approaches to working with Indigenous men but identify a lack of resourcing, sound infrastructure, and evaluation. 71 The lack of an Indigenous feminist approach to much of the work identified with Indigenous men is also evident. 71 ...
•Gender-based violence includes intimate partner violence, sexual violence and other harmful acts directed at people based on their gender. It is common in Australia and causes great ill health, especially for women victims/survivors, with Indigenous women particularly affected. •Health services are an opportune place for early intervention for victims/survivors of gender-based violence as they attend frequently. •Interventions that are evidence-based and respond to consensus from victim/survivor voices include universal education, screening in antenatal care, first line supportive care, and referral for advocacy and psychological interventions, including mother-child work. •Health care staff require training, protocols, scripts, referral pathways, understanding of cultural safety and antiracist practice in service delivery, and leadership support to undertake this sensitive work, including support, if needed, for their own experiences of gender-based violence. •Using a trauma-, violence- and gender-informed approach across health systems, taking into account structural inequities, is essential to sustain the gender-based violence work in health services. •Gender-based violence experienced by Indigenous women is distinct and of urgent concern as rates rapidly increase. Inequities across the health system are pronounced for Indigenous women.
... FV includes interpersonal violence, also commonly called domestic violence and abuse (World Health Organization, 2014a). Indigenous people in some countries prefer the term FV because it broadens the notion that violence can occur in the home and within the community (Gallant et al., 2017;Yates, 2020). FV has increasingly been recognized as a health issue (García-Moreno et al., 2015). ...
Although many Indigenous peoples demonstrate resilience and strength despite the ongoing impact colonization has on their peoples, evidence suggests poor experiences and expectations of health care professionals and access to health care. Health care professionals play an essential role in responding to family violence (FV), yet there is a paucity of evidence detailing Indigenous people’s experiences and expectations of health care professionals in the context of FV. Using a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies, this article aims to address the following research question: What are Indigenous people’s experiences and expectations of health care professionals when experiencing FV? The inclusion criteria comprised a qualitative study design, Indigenous voices, and a focus on expectations and experiences of health care professionals when FV is experienced. Reviewers independently screened article abstracts, and the findings from included papers were subject to a thematic analysis. Six studies were included in the final meta-synthesis representing studies from Australia, the Americas, and New Zealand. Three themes were identified. Health care professionals need to center the Indigenous person in the care they provide and demonstrate cultural awareness of how history and culture influence an individual’s care requirements. Health care professionals also need to ensure they are connecting for trust with the Indigenous person, by slowly developing a rapport, yarning, and investing in the relationship. Finally, Indigenous peoples want their health care professional to work on strengthening safety from culturally inappropriate care, institutional control, and potential lack of confidentiality associated with tight-knit communities.
... The health and social inequities experienced within and between these populations are diverse, but can include high rates of risky health practices all of which have been shown to be more important in the development of severe illness in this COVID-19 pandemic -including those relating to smoking; 95,96 unsafe sex; 97-99 alcohol and substance misuse; 95,100 and violence. [100][101][102] Poor mental health and wellbeing 103,104 and high rates of suicide ideation and suicide 105,106 have also been noted, and with the economic impact of COVID-19 are likely to get worse. Barriers associated with health service access, which impinge on help-seeking practices and health service use, are also common. ...
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) reflected a global pandemic. Early epidemiological analyses demonstrated that boys and men have similar rates of COVID-19 infection to girls and women. However, boys and men appear to be disproportionately impacted with respect to severity and mortality, including those from marginalised or minority backgrounds. Yet, considerations of sex and gender, and their relationship to health and social inequities, have been absent from recent COVID-19 policy and practice pandemic responses. This evidence-based commentary discusses the nexus between COVID-19, equity, and boys and men’s health from a broad public health perspective. Using scholarship about intersections between race and gender; and poverty, social determinants of health, and gender; we explain why a health equity lens is important to address the health and social inequities boys and men face during pandemics. This contribution provides guidance about future global public health
pandemic responses for society’s most vulnerable groups of boys and men.
This chapter aims to introduce the complex social landscapes and structural intersections for adolescent boys and young men of colour (BYMOC). The authors of the subsequent chapters in this book draw examples from contemporary research and practice contexts to explore the facets involved in creating, adopting, and evaluating innovative and strengths-based approaches to promote health among BYMOC. Highlighting strengths-based narratives about BYMOC is a fundamental health promotion strategy to reduce the health inequities they often experience. Therefore, we were intentional in curating a broad range of examples from research findings and promising practices from around the world, including Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and Canada, to celebrate and highlight health promotion strategies that can help to improve the life trajectories of BYMOC. Our efforts help move the scholarship on programming for BYMOC beyond discussing the health and social inequities experienced by this subgroup of males, instead focusing on practical actions that can be taken to address them and achieve men’s health equity.
Accumulating evidence shows a strong association between gambling problems and reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) but provides limited guidance about how to respond to these issues in specialised gambling services. The aim of this study was thus to improve understanding of the potential role of gambling help providers in identifying and responding to IPV. This was addressed via 20 semistructured interviews with gambling help service staff in Australia (15 female and 5 male). Data were analysed in the context of a social constructivist approach to thematic analysis, which produced four themes: (1) “It's loaded with complexity,” which highlights the clinical complexity of clients who disclosed both gambling problems and IPV; (2) “The hidden nature of gambling and IPV,” describing stigma, shame and secrecy attached to both gambling and IPV; (3) “The big thing is putting it on the radar,” which outlined factors in the service context that either enabled client disclosures of IPV or kept it hidden; and (4) “It's everyone's business,” which described current approaches to interagency collaboration, with reference to factors that either limited or facilitated such responses to addressing IPV.
Improving access to and suitability of legal and support
services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perpetrators
of violence against women is an urgent priority to reduce the
unacceptably high rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
family violence. This report outlines our research investigating
the pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men
through the family violence legal and support service system,
seeking better understanding of the opportunities for
rehabilitation that are respectful and culturally responsive,
and to see if these pathways enable positive shifts in the lives
of women, children and communities affected by family
violence.
This literature review examined the prevention of and response to family violence, and focused on the engagement of Indigenous men in remote communities. This report included information on:
engagement
barriers to engaging men
service paradigms
social exclusion
changing the orientation of services to engage and support men
exploring the potential role of a men’s space.
The report highlighted the:
need to work with Indigenous men
limitations of mainstream law and order approaches to family violence
lack of an evidence base for community-based approaches to family violence
need to use models which represent men’s attitudes to violence, health, service delivery and changes to behavior.
The purpose of the study was to describe the essential elements of an Aboriginal-based family violence intervention program. Twenty-one Aboriginal family violence program administrators and service providers were asked “What program components are essential in an Aboriginal family violence prevention program?” Respondents identified the need for sound administrative structure and function, qualified and healthy staff, and consistent program funding. Coordinated service delivery with other community agencies was described. Program components should be based on traditional teachings, should create awareness of personal and family dynamics and change, and should educate about family violence. There were needs for components for partners seperately, partners and their children, partners together, and the whole family. These components coincided with Aboriginal traditional teachings. Implications for program development were described.
Rethinking questions of identity, social agency and national affiliation, Bhabha provides a working, if controversial, theory of cultural hybridity - one that goes far beyond previous attempts by others. In The Location of Culture, he uses concepts such as mimicry, interstice, hybridity, and liminality to argue that cultural production is always most productive where it is most ambivalent. Speaking in a voice that combines intellectual ease with the belief that theory itself can contribute to practical political change, Bhabha has become one of the leading post-colonial theorists of this era.
In this paper the authors address the question of how treatment and rehabilitation programs for violent offenders might be modified to more appropriately meet the needs of different cultural groups and improve treatment responsiv-ity. The focus of the paper is on the needs of Aboriginal violent offenders in an Australian context, although the themes have relevance to treatment programs internationally. Two broad sources of information are used: the published literature relating to violent offending in Aboriginal people in Australia, and a small-scale interview-based qualitative survey of service providers with particular experience in this area. The evidence suggests there may be some distinctive features to Aboriginal violent offending. Suggestions are made on how programs can be more responsive to Aboriginal offender needs, thereby improving treatment and rehabilitation outcomes.
Given the severity and extent of woman abuse, calls are being made to mandate treatment for abusive men. Attention has focused on Caucasian populations; few programs are culturally competent. This article discusses the first Aboriginal family violence program for inmates within the federal correctional system in North America. The Correctional Service of Canada funded a project operated by a community agency, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, for offenders at Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba. Numerous issues, including cultural competence, training, and evaluation, are highlighted.
This article provides a brief reflection on how the Change of Seasons treatment model developed and the reasons for its success with Aboriginal men. Parallels between Aboriginal perspectives, or worldviews, and Ken Wilber's transpersonal psychology, Rupert Sheldrake's fields theory, and Peter Senge's systems thinking are also discussed. Practical rituals and ceremonies that have been successfully integrated into psycho-educational group counselling as practiced in the Change of Seasons model are explained. These musings are included to initiate further dialogue on holistic approaches to counselling and other community initiatives. (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.)