Resumen

Violence against women (VAW) is a pervasive social issue in Canada that transcends socio-cultural, faith, and economic groups. While the participation of men is an essential part of prevention efforts, there is insufficient understanding of the services, supports, and capacities that men need for more nurturing relationships and a greater sense of well-being. Services and supports promoting well-being, healthy relationships, and violence prevention are most successful when culture, faith, language, and community are centered within the approach, fostering meaningful engagement. To achieve meaningful and impactful change, training and capacity-building efforts can equip leaders from across cultural and other diverse experiences to implement culturally relevant supports and services and ensure their accessibility.\ The Men's Well-being Group\ (WBG) offers a\ 10-module peer support program that engages men in conversations about well-being, healthy relationships, gender equity, domestic violence, and systemic racism as a primary approach to domestic violence prevention. Developed as a community initiative by and for Spanish speaking (Latino) Canadians, WBG participants shared that providing men with culturally appropriate spaces is essential to enhancing their well-being and fostering healthy relationships. According to evaluations from the first group, participants were able to build ties with other men, reduce barriers to accessing supports, and identify and improve communication and relationships with family members. Building on this initial feedback we launched\ a facilitator training program for the WBG that involved men community leaders from the Bhutanese, Filipino, Iranian, Nepali Canadian communities. The trained facilitators were then supported to lead men’s WBGs within their own communities as peer mentors.\ In this presentation, we share the story of the men’s well-being groups, and discuss the potential of the experiential and evidence-informed community practice.

Palabras Clave (separar con comas)

violence against women, violence prevention, mens well-being, culturally relevant supports\ 

Resumen

While college campuses have made strides in cultivating an inclusive environment, current initiatives often fall short, particularly regarding the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students, specifically transgender students. Changes such as incorporating gender-neutral bathrooms or adding the word 'inclusive' in mission statements are not enough when the underlying systems remain essentially unchanged. The impact is particularly severe on transgender students, who face elevated stress levels due to discrimination and marginalization (Knutson et al., 2022). Such policies not only cause emotional distress but can also discourage enrollment and impact academic success (Seelman, 2014).To make true progress, colleges and universities must make structural changes aimed at eradicating the stressors that negatively affect transgender students. These changes must move away from a binary understanding of gender if educational institutions are to be genuinely inclusive (Seelman, 2014). One way to achieve this is by adopting trauma-informed approaches that allow for individualized, sensitive handling of student identities.\ To transform educational environments into safe, inviting, and inclusive spaces for transgender students, institutions can utilize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA, 2014) trauma-informed approach. This framework is organized around six key principles: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, as well as voice and choice, and attention to cultural, historical, and gender issues (SAMHSA, 2014).Understanding the lived experiences of transgender students becomes a vital cornerstone for instigating systemic changes that foster inclusivity.References:Knutson, D., et al. (2022). Transgender Students and Stress: The Impact of Discrimination and Marginalization in Higher Education. Journal of College Student Development, 63(2), 215-230.Seelman, K. L. (2014). Recommendations of transgender students, staff, and faculty in the USA for improving college campuses. Gender and Education, 26(6), 618-635.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014).\  SAMHSA's Concept of\ Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.\ \ \ 

Palabras Clave (separar con comas)

Inclusive, diversity, transgender students, higher education

Resumen

In recent years, extensive research has garnered attention around the widespread concern of intimate partner violence (IPV). Although IPV affects individuals from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, there is a lack of intimate partner violence research tailored to IPV victimization in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Sadly, Deaf and hard-of-hearing women experience higher rates of IPV than hearing women, yet community-coordinated responses and support services are scarce for this population. Therefore, it is paramount to identify and describe existing barriers that cause perplexities when providing resources and services for Deaf women. Appropriateness of IPV-specific services for Deaf survivors is essential for their safety and well-being. Disability-specific abuse creates additional challenges for Deaf and hard-of-hearing women. With that said, hearing-dominated organizations and agencies must be informed about the abusive tactics of perpetrators, whether Deaf or hearing individuals and how this translates to help-seeking behaviors for the survivors. Language is a constant barrier to communicating with Deaf survivors properly. As a result, there is limited information exchange about unhealthy relationship behaviors, access to legal resources, housing, financial assistance, mental health resources, and more.\ On the other hand, it is habitual that service providers do not specialize in IPV-specific services for Deaf survivors. Still, they are utilized through a generalized lens through which providers are available to address the comprehensive needs of Deaf clients. Moreover, research findings suggest that diversifying the intervention and prevention efforts for disability-specific IPV will better address the safety needs of the survivors. This presentation will discuss implications for future innovative strategies that will enhance the overall quality of services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing women survivors of intimate partner violence.\ 

Palabras Clave (separar con comas)

Deaf victims, intimate partner violence, disabilities\ 

Resumen

Until recently, intimate partner violence (IPV) by women towards men was thought to be rare. The current literature indicates that female violence occurs in about 20% of the total IPV situations. The presentation examines IPV calls responded to by police in a small to medium sized Ontario community between January 2012 and November 2014. The Domestic Violence Supplementary Report criminal code forms data included 260 of 985 (26.4%) total calls where charges were laid against females. Police-identified risk factors commonly associated with male-accused IPV were compared relative to female-accused IPV. Males tended to be charged more frequently and with more serious offences. Further, for accused males, police tended to check off more risk factors and the same risk factors at higher rates than they did for accused females. However, risk factors of exhibiting externalizing behaviours, recent separation or change in the relationship, and experiencing stress tended to be identified more frequently for female-accused persons. Many feminist theorists and social workers have tended to view female violence as a response to the conditions of patriarchy and an attempt to deal with the violent behaviours of their male partners; however, the results challenge this perspective along with some feminist theorists who acknowledge not all female violence is based on self-defence or retaliation. Female-accused IPV should be contextualized in a gendered or feminist analysis as it does differ from male-perpetrated violence. Nonetheless, these results can help us consider the implications for social workers working with situations of female-accused IPV.\  Recommendations are made regarding the implications of gender for risk factors in criminal cases, police response to these calls, and for social workers working with situations of female-accused IPV.

Palabras Clave (separar con comas)

domestic violence, female violence against males, risk factors