Domestic Violence and the World Cup

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Thanks for starting this thread. For the record I think that informing people about this correlation can only be a good thing.

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I think that such a campaign/awareness raising is a good thing - because they challenge attitudes and share information.

There are some women who due to their backgrounds/upbringing have "normalised" the DV situation they are in.

Access to sources of information can be provided through posters/adverts etc.

moondog - have a look at the Tackling Violence against Women and Girls - A guide to Good Practice and Communications. I think that it shows what campaigns should be trying to do and then talks about measuring attitude changes.

OP - I have been reading this topic for just long enough to pick up on:

"how people, both perptrators and potential victims can do what they can to avoid this nasty experience"

Surely you can't tell "potential victims" how to avoid DV without somehow making it their fault! Access to info, yes ...

The evidence that public campaigns work, is that attitudes and behaviour have changed. It is no longer socially acceptable to drink and drive. The rates of smoking have plummeted. Most people now think wearing seat-belts is a good idea, not an attack on their basic human rights.

When the public information campaigns on these issues first started, of course they were preaching to the converted. But over a period of years, the majority have been converted.

Isn't that evidence? Or are we really going to pretend that police enforcement and Lancet articles about the link between smoking and illness alone are responsible for such changes in attitudes in the last few decades?

I've been thinking about this issue quite a lot. I thought incidents of DV always increased with football - Saturday match days and then events like the World Cup or European Cup really heightening it.

I think it would be helpful if more footballers actually got involved in anti-DV campaigning but then they might have to actually not be seen to condone this behaviour in their colleagues.

I also don't see any harm in an awareness campaign - if only so that those who know women who are in danger can keep a closer eye on them and know that the police will respond if called.

As for why it happens - not that difficult to work out. DV perpetrators are bullies. They have a huge rush of emotions/aggression etc, often fuelled by alcohol, and then have nothing to do with those feelings. They go home and take it out on someone who can't fight bad.

I wonder how many women will be hospitalised or worse. It makes me feel sick and furious that so many people will be dreading this event because they will sure to be on the receiving end of someone's fist.

DOes anyone remember a film called I.D? That was about football events leading to DV and rape.

It's something to do with the testosterone high the men get when they're all together, is it not? Alcohol raises testosterone too so that's definitely part of the problem
I like moondog's solutions, but I don't think a campaign can do any harm.

I've recieved that and have replied very quickly (I'm multitasking).

I have a good pal who head's the criminology department at the Uni if you need any help/advice. She's a survivor of DV.

I get the point made by Moondog about preaching to the converted, but I think that campaigns do make a difference, as a smoker who has to occupy the status of a social pariah after only a few years of government finger-wagging!

All three sound like a good plan.

There's 2 types of perpetrator (sorry about the spelling), the ones that regularly hurt their partner and the ones that are drunk, emotionally 'not with it' and are least likely to do it again. You can't target both in the same way as there's different things making them tick.

Sorry, raise price of booze I mean.
There is sound evidence that reducing access to cheap booze cuts down on violence, domestic and otherwise as well as myriad health issues.

Ok, what can we do?

Raise prices on alcohol?
Reduce dominance of football over everything?
Stop paying footballers so much money?

I would personally endorse all 3 but unlikey in a free world.

I see your point of wanting to raise awareness but is it remembered when someone's trollied?

I have emailed you pan.

I asked you first.
Please give me your evidence for your first assertion.

Pan, I thoguht I made my point.
Raising awareness doesn't generally work because message gets out to those who believe in it anyway.Obviously I don';t want to be dismissive of good peopel and their eforts but as a society we have to take a good hard look at what works and what doesn't.

Subject very close to my heart-I am preparing a lecture on evidence based practice right now.

Domestic violence, like child abuse, has always been seen to be something that's best off not spoken about. There's a bigger taboo about it so it does need to be handled very carefully. It's not the same as drink driving, this is seen as socially unacceptable so it's OK to have publicity around it as it's no longer a taboo topic, to do this with domestic violence needs clear strategies. Campaigns do work, they take time though and they need careful handling. It is very unnacceptable to hit your partner.