Batterer Intervention - Praxis International

Re-examining Battering: Are All Acts of Violence Against Intimate Partners the Same?

Shamita Das Dasgupta and Ellen Pence, 2006

This article examines the origin and history of the concept of “domestic violence” and distinguishes between domestic violence and battering. It recognizes that batterer intervention cannot occur without an analysis of the distinctly different forms of intimate partner violence.

Excerpt from article:
“Confusion occurs when we begin to equate “battering” to all acts of “domestic violence.” The comparison is erroneous, as not all violence by intimate partners follows the systematic pattern of control, intimidation, and domination that is typical of battering. Grasping that there are important differences in partner violence is crucial for researcher,practitioners, and advocates since this understanding would guide the forging of effective interventions for victims and perpetrators.”

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Introduction to the Spanish adaptation of Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter

This is the introductory chapter of a Spanish adaptation of the Duluth curriculum Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter. The Spanish curriculum Creando un Processo de Cambio para Hombres que Maltratan provides Spanish versions of key curriculum materials that a project working with Spanish-speaking men could use as a starting point for developing men’s classes using the Duluth approach.

A free copy of the Spanish curriculum materials is available to rural grantees who are working with Spanish-speaking men who batter and who attend training on how to use it (provided periodically by Praxis and the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project/National Training Project).Others can purchase the curriculum and attend training (see below).

Rural grantees: for information on attending training and receiving free Spanish curriculum materials contact: Praxis International 651-699-8000 x 2500

Others: for more information about purchasing the curriculum or attending a training, contact: National Training Project (218) 722-2781 x 205

Download Introduction (English)
Download Introduction (Spanish)

Organizing Communities to Challenge Violence Against Women

Shamita Das Dasgupta

This handbook is offered as a practical guide to gathering a community’s energies around the issue of domestic violence. It focuses on assisting individuals who would become grassroots organizers to enhance their competency. It familiarizes activists, advocates, and organizers with concepts, strategies, and skills that may guide their work. It is intended to provoke critical thinking and provide direction to individuals who hope to engage others in collective resistance to intimate violence against women.

The handbook is intended to serve the dual purpose of educating individuals who would be directly involved in community organizing, as well as expanding the abilities of individuals who would train others. Thus, it is divided in two parts: (1) concepts and topics significant to community organizing, and (2)skill building. The two sections together furnish a comprehensive picture of community organizing as an ideology, praxis, and a usable set of specific skills.

To order, contact:
Manavi, Inc.
P.O. Box 3103
New Brunswick, NJ 08903-3103
Phone (732) 435-1414 Fax: (732) 435-1411
Email: manavi@manavi.org
Website: www.manavi.org

The Batterer as Parent; Addressing the Impact of Domestic Violence on Family Dynamics

Lundy Bancroft, Jay G. Silverman

The Batterer as Parent provides an extensive analysis of the impact a batterer has on family dynamics and further deepens our understanding of the trauma done to the children of battered women. It provides a useful framework for assessing risk to children from batterers; as a parent, as a high risk incest perpetrator, in undermining a battered mother’s credibility as a parent, and in custody and visitation disputes. Most significantly, it addresses what children need to heal from being exposed to a batterer’s behavior.

“As some one with 30 years of experience working with the police and the courts in a more collaborative response to domestic violence, I found that The Batterer as Parent left me with a fresh perspective and new ideas for clinical practice and research in this area. I am confident that other readers will be stimulated in a similar fashion. I hope that this book comes to be seen as required reading for all judges, lawyers, custody evaluators, child protection workers, therapists, and advocates involved in domestic violence cases.”
-Peter Jaffe, PhD., Director, Center for Children and Families in the Justice System

Available through your local or online bookstore.

Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

Lundy Bancroft, 2002

Lundy Bancroft has worked with abusive men for over fifteen years but acknowledges that the most influential “teachers” he has had have been the victims of angry and controlling men. This book provides powerful insights based on professional experiences, interviews and research. He devotes an entire chapter to exploring abusive men as parents.

“Most books about abuse in relationships focus on women – how they’re hurt,why they stay. As important as these questions are, they can also distract us from the heart of the problem. Bancroft boldly asks – and brilliantly answers – the most important question of all: Why do so many men abuse women: What can be done about it? This book is desperately needed and long overdue.”
–Jackson Katz, creator of the award-winning video Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity

Available through your local or online bookstore.