COMMUNITY & INTIMATE VIOLENCE
Communities are bound by acts of violence as much as they are by shared celebrations, goals and values. Whether intentional or accidental, or perpetrated by a neighbor or a stranger, community-based violence can both subtly and catastrophically destroy communal wellbeing. From the Holocaust to apartheid in South Africa, 9/11 to genocide in Darfur, a school shooting to a liquor store robbery, violence penetrates our lives and exposes us to trauma that so often goes unaddressed. The Center on Violence and Recovery is committed to uncovering these traumas, and finding ways to address them.
Intimate violence, a seemingly intractable dimension of community violence, is broadly defined to include physical, emotional, or psychological abuse between intimately involved or related people. This includes partners, parents and children, siblings or other family members. The term ‘intimate violence’ recognizes the dynamic nature of relationships—that abuse is frequently bi-directional rather than one-directional—and that it can extend beyond a couple to affect children and other family members. For example:
- Parents can unwittingly pass on violent behavior to their children
- Both partners must heal old wounds and recognize how they interact with each other before they can change abusive behavior
- Cultural norms, religious tradition, sexual orientation and racial dynamics can, in their own ways, influence a couple’s decision not to seek help or to stay together despite the presence of violence in their relationship
- Extended family members, friends, and community members can play a role in encouraging change and monitoring safety in the relationship
Intimate violence always occurs in a context. Yet, many communities have approached this critical social problem from a narrow security standpoint, treating offenders in isolation to ensure victim safety. So far such efforts have failed to curb the violence or include whole families in the recovery process. Across the country, advocates, judges and prosecutors struggle daily with requests from victims to find new treatments that will heal—not dismantle—the family. Although the criminal justice system may hold people accountable for intimate crimes, an important and laudable goal, treating violence is only possible by engaging individuals, families and communities to commit to change together. The Center on Violence and Recovery promotes holistic responses to violence that can foster vibrant and resilient communities.
New approaches to community and intimate violence