Domestic Violence — Men as Peacemakers

The mission to end domestic violence is not easy. Too often, the work towards ending domestic violence is a responsibility of the victims. However, there are ways to include the perpetrators and the community. #takeaction podcast guest Chris Godsey, Domestic Violence Restorative Circles Program Coordinator at Men as Peacemakers Association talks about the Duluth model and his work with abusive men.

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The Duluth Model

The Duluth model gets its name from the city of Duluth, Minnesota, where the model was first implemented. Essentially, the Duluth model is a philosophy to responding to domestic violence. It is a community-focused approach, suggesting that the root cause of domestic violence lies in social norms.

The Duluth model was developed by Ellen Pence and her colleagues in Minnesota in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Ellen and her colleagues found that when the police were called to address a case of domestic violence, their focus was on the victim (woman) and their behaviour. The police often addressed the woman’s behaviour and gave advice on how she could try to prevent her partner from acting violently against her. Frustrated by this system, Ellen and her colleagues wanted to approach the issue of domestic violence differently. They created the Duluth model based on discussions with women who were experiencing domestic violence. Pence and her colleagues saw domestic violence as an extension of community norms and gender-based norms where masculinity was valued over femininity. Essentially, they saw domestic violence as a community health problem, rather than a problem within the abusive individual. Thus, they thought that the community should take action to end domestic violence.

Chris notes that many disagree with the theory of the Duluth model, as there are many different explanations and theories of the causes of domestic violence.

Fighting Domestic Violence by Helping the Abusers

The mission to end domestic violence should not be the sole responsibility of the victims. The perpetrators should be included in the mission. Chris works towards ending violence, especially ending the violence of men towards women by helping the men to change their thoughts and behaviour.

Chris says that the point of the Duluth model is not to point fingers or to shame the abuser. In the community-focused model the abusers are seen as human beings and they are accepted as part of the community. They are not excluded, but helped.
His work includes group discussions with men who are perpetrators of domestic violence. During these discussions, their thoughts, intentions and beliefs are challenged. The point is to help them see the effect of their violence on others and help them change their thoughts and behaviours. This model also reflects the wishes of the victims. Rarely do the victims of domestic violence want their abusive partners to be punished. Rather, they would want their abusers to see how they affect others and to change their behaviour.

Chris’s Advice

What advice would Chris give to men who want to support women and the mission of ending domestic violence?
He recommends learning, educating oneself about the problem before acting. He also suggests learning directly from the men before asking the women in order to avoid causing unnecessary stress to the victims. In other words, before one can ask women the right questions, a basic level of understanding of the phenomenon of domestic violence is needed. Like in many other instances in life, listening is key.

Written by Pia Salin