Hearing their voices: Perceptions of men and women on reducing men's perpetration of domestic violence

Domestic violence perpetrator intervention programs exists within the logic of accountability. Regardless of the perpetrator program length, admission format or intervention methods, the overall aim of perpetrator intervention is for men to take responsibility for their abusive behaviour and to stop using tactics of power and control. For Australians to take seriously the safety of women and their children, interventions with perpetrators of domestic violence need to be included in the overall suite of domestic violence interventions, as do strategies aimed at stopping boys and men from becoming perpetrators. It is time to support effective interventions while also finding new ways to respond to domestic violence. This is consistent with the key commitments of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS 2016b).

This research gained insights from interviews with 20 women who had experienced domestic violence, 20 men who had perpetrated domestic violence, and 4 specialist men’s workers on what they perceived could help stop men’s violence. Interviewees were from rural and metropolitan South Australia.