Victims of domestic violence in London are to discuss their abuse face-to-face with the perpetrators under a scheme being piloted by a local authority that aims to “break the cycle.”
Harrow council in northwest London, which has funded the scheme to the tune of £200,000 (US$296,760), is providing specialist counseling sessions for couples who are violent toward each other.
The council, which has just begun counseling sessions with the first couple participating in the scheme, believes it can tackle domestic violence by bringing couples together in a “supportive environment.”
Traditional models of tackling domestic violence in th UK usually focus on the abuser and not the whole family.
US MODEL
The Harrow experiment is based on a US model. Social workers from Harrow are to undertake direct work with the children of families involved to assess the impact of the violence.
The program is to be run by psychotherapists and counselors from the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships who are to work with the families to find the triggers for the abuse.
“We are delighted to be delivering, in partnership with Harrow council, such a new and innovative way of helping with the major challenges faced when interpersonal violence occurs between couples,” center chief executive officer Susanna Abse said.
The scheme has been greeted with skepticism by some women’s groups.
“The assumption in such couple counseling approaches tends to be that both parties must be at fault and they simply need to learn better behaviours. Domestic violence is about bullying and control, not misunderstanding. It is a choice, and it is deeply related to power between men and women,” End Violence Against Women Coalition acting director Sarah Green said.
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