Lucia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Williams

The goal of this presentation is to report LAPREV's Domestic Violence Experience in the city of São Carlos, Brazil

DepartmentDepartmentof Psychologyof Psychology

Since 1998Since 1998

www.ufscar.br/laprev

LAPREVLAPREV

ResearchResearchTeachingTeachingConsultationConsultationInterventionInterventionPreventionPrevention

Women’s Police Station/ Health-School UnitWomen’s Police Station/ Health-School Unit

Child Protection Agency OfficeChild Protection Agency Office

Gravelina Lemes Gravelina Lemes ShelterShelter

São Carlos

Why did we do it?Professional and Personal Reason - Violence against women is a serious public

health concern in the world and particularly in Brazil

1997-2005

73

2

IPV Femicide

Extrafamilial Femicide

Intrafamilial (Non IPV)

What do we look for?A health intervention approach based in

gender equality to teach women to gain control over their lives and free themselves from violence symptoms

Teach men conflict resolution skills based in Human Rights

Prevent children from becoming aggressive or overly passive

How did we do it?

It all started in 1998 at the local Women's Police Station

No other services for supporting

such women then

Implementation Process – first phase (1998)

Partnership with the municipality of São Carlos (Secretary of Citizenship and Social Assistance):

Bus passes (most women are poor, Afro-Brazilian women are over-represented), many migrant women from Brazil's Northern States

20 % of the São Carlos population is Afro-Brazilian

Initial hotel support for women in danger

Implementation – phase 2 (2001)• Inauguration of Gravelina T. Lemes shelter

for women at risk of fatal violence and children

• How it was possible: Partnership + advocacy Reason for the shelter name: Lessons from

Gravelina

Phase 3: Health-School Unit (USE) - 2006

• Insertion of work with women & men in the Health System• Opportunity for Inter- disciplinary work

It has a home replica lab!

Observation room adjacent the house

Intervention with childrenStill at LAPREV's office at CPS agency

I International Meeting on Child Sexual Abuse (USE partnership with city's Health Department, ISPCAN & others), 2007

600 professionals for 3 days

Book in press as a result

Example of one Intervention Program: Project Parceria

Project Parceria has 2 units:

1) A Psychotherapeutic one (8 sessions) aimed at analyzing the impact that violence may have had in the participant's lives and empower them to change.

2) An Educational unit (8 sessions) to teach mothering skills

What did we achieve? ResultsOver the years we have worked with

about 800 people, 60 at USEGood feedback from clients, students and

the communityEvidence Based Practice resulting in

many publications – www.ufscar.br/laprevQuality and quantitative dadaFirst publication in a Brazilian journal re

intervention with batterer (Padovani & Williams, 2002).

Individual case study with batterer

(Padovani & Williams, 2002)

Group Intervention with Men (Cortez, Padovani & Williams, 2005)

Conflict Tactic Scale Scores over the months

How did we sustain it?Community outreach

from a Public University

Partnership with the city – 2 special mayors

Research GrantsProject Parceria:Free booklets: A life

free of violence & Raising your child in a Positive way

Some of the lessons learnedPrevention is the keyMale intervention is a priority!Recent developments:

School which protects – Ministry of Education

Working with Adolescent parentsWorking with incarcerated women & their

children

Thank you!!!