Men giving up violence.

Ramos, Miguel

An increasing number of men in Peru apparently wish to change their lives because their physical or sexual abuse of female partners has created a life crisis: Those female partners have either already left them or plan to do so.

Recognizing the harm that their behavior has caused, these men seek models of masculinity that do not include partner violence. And, for the first time in Peru, a program is being implemented to support such men's efforts. Begun by Cayetano Heredia University in June of 2004 at two locations in Lima, the program encourages men to reflect on their personal experiences and to commit themselves to nonviolence at home. They learn techniques to avoid violence and to resolve conflicts with partners and children. Men are also encouraged to explore ways to express their masculinity while simultaneously treating partners with affection, respecting women's rights, and valuing equality within an intimate relationship.

The Peruvian program is based on other programs, such as the Mexico-based Collective of Men for Equitable Relationships, that work directly with male aggressors to confront and discourage traditional attitudes about gender roles that may condone violence against women. Such traditional attitudes are often so deeply ingrained during the socialization process that men consider them to be "natural." The consequences of these views are reflected in reports of partner violence: In a recent study, up to 51 percent and 69 percent of 1,090 women in Lima and 1,536 women in Cuzco, respectively, reported being victims of physical or sexual violence by their partners at least once. Sexual violence, in particular, was reported by 23 percent and 46 percent of the same women in Lima and Cuzco, respectively. (1)

The program in Peru consists of two-hour weekly sessions for about one year as men pass through three levels lasting four months each. The first step is to attend an initial session to learn about the program. Eighty men, ages 25 to 55 years, have already done so. Sixteen men--most living in poverty--then joined the first-level group, in which participants examine their violent behavior, consider its consequences, and recognize their responsibility for the behavior. At this level, they also consider the possibility of not becoming violent in situations of conflict and become acquainted with techniques to avoid violence. Eight mostly middle-class men have also just begun this level.

Meanwhile, the initial 16 participants have advanced to the second level, where they reflect on their personal experiences since childhood and question their beliefs, values, and attitudes. Participants progressing to the third level will try to establish equitable relationships and find nonviolent solutions to conflicts with their partners.

How effective are such efforts to help men abandon violence against their partners? This remains unknown. The Mexico-based Collective of Men for Equitable Relationships lacked financial resources to formally evaluate the impact of its program. But the entry of additional men into the program upon the recommendation of former participants who felt that the program had helped them reduce their violent behavior was considered a measure of success sufficient to result in the replication of the initiative in six or seven Mexican states by nongovernmental organizations and public institutions.

It is too early to fully evaluate the young program in Peru. But referral of new men to the program by other men or by feminist organizations indicates that it is having a social impact. And, for the short term, the program's impact on individual men is being measured via attendance records, monthly self-evaluations, observations by facilitators, and follow-up of men who abandon the program. Before men are promoted to the second level, behavioral changes occurring after participation in the first level will be assessed by female partners who have remained with the men. Notably, however, about 70 percent of the men have already been abandoned by their female partners.

Sometimes the changes in attitude or behavior are unambiguous. "I have learned to value myself and to identify and stop my violence," a 35-year-old man in the first-level group clearly stated on a self-evaluation. But even gradual change can be promising. "I started to do some domestic work at the beginning of this program, although I was feeling this was not my job," one 32-year-old participant in the second-level group reflected. "But the last time I helped her, I felt that the domestic work was not necessarily my wife's job, and I felt good about that change in my attitude."

Reference

(1) Guezmes A, Palomino N, Ramos M. Violencia Sexual y Fisica contra las Mujeres en el Peru. Estudio Multicentrico de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud. Lima, Peru: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, 2003.

Dr. Carlos F. Caceres and Dr. Miguel Ramos, Professors of Public Health, Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru