New ad on domestic violence targets males
12/06/2012 03:18
"Men have to be part of social change," activist says, as campaign calls on men to seek help.
Illustrative photo of religious woman hiding face Photo: Marc Israel Sellem
The Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women in Israel has a new
target for their anti-domestic violence public service announcements now showing
on major TV channels: men.
After years of encouraging women to call the
118 hotline to avoid continuing domestic violence or to find a safe shelter, the
AASWI wants men to take responsibility and get help before they become
abusive.
The shift is part of a worldwide trend to force men to take
responsibility for domestic violence, rather than placing the burden on the
victim to seek help.
The joint initiative from the AASWI, a division of
the Prime Minister’s Office, the Health Ministry, Immigrant Absorption Ministry
and the Welfare and Social Services Ministry wants to increase awareness of
behavior that could become abusive. The AASWI wants men to recognize what
constitutes as verbal abuse and to seek help before it degenerates into physical
abuse.
“We need to find creative ways to increase the calls from men as
well,” said Vered Swid, the organization’s director-general.
When men
call the 118 number and ask for assistance, social workers can direct them to a
variety of different services, including support groups, anger management
courses, therapy, or temporary apartments to allow a “cooling off period” that
enables the woman and children to stay at home rather than deal with a
shelter.
“People are always asking, why didn’t she complain?” Swid said
on Wednesday, a week after the PSA campaign’s three-week run on Channel 2.
“We’re saying it’s the responsibility of two people to get help in order to
break the cycle of violence.”
She also recommended that children of
abusive relationships who are struggling in their own marriages call for
assistance, since children who witnessed abuse or were abused can find
themselves inadvertently making the same mistakes.
Swid noted that while
men are not always the abusive partner in the relationship, the PSAs are
directed towards men in order to change public perception.
Since the
campaign began last week, the 118 hotline, which operates around the clock,
received 15 times the normal amount of phone calls.
“Men have to be part
of the social change,” Swid said. “Violence is a problem of the entire society.”