Supporting men important in preventing domestic violence: Calgary study

A new report from the University of Calgary suggests more focus is needed on men’s behaviour when it comes to preventing domestic violence.

The report from the School of Public Policy examines the trajectory of criminal behaviour and police interactions prior to an eventual charge for a criminal act involving domestic violence in 2019.

The report includes a 10-year data set supplied by the Calgary Police Service and shows that very few men in the sample were unknown to police prior to the charge in 2019.

“For the majority of our sample there is a trajectory of criminal acts and domestic conflict encounters with the Calgary Police Service leading to domestic violence charges. This suggests that there are opportunities to connect with men earlier through both specialized and community supports, especially when we’re seeing increasing police interactions,” said co-author Lana Wells with the School of Public Policy.

“Many men are reluctant to seek help because of perceptions of stigma and constructs of masculinity.

“And there are actually limited services out there that are affordable and accessible when men need or want help,” Wells said.

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David Sannes with Fear is Not Love says shame plays a role in men not seeking help.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of finger wagging and a lot of shame that can be out there in the community and that can turn people away from seeking help,” said David Sannes, manager of men’s counselling and community initiatives at Fear is Not Love.

He said the men’s counselling program is in high demand.

“We are getting on average 15 and 30 calls from non-mandated men every month wanting clinical supports to address their anger and the behaviours they are bringing to their family.

“They want to make changes,” Sennes said.

Calgary’s police chief says programs like Men& that support men and their mental health are critical.

“For so many years I thought there needs to be a resource like this and Fear is not Love came up with Men&,” said CPS Chief Const. Mark Neufeld at a news conference on Thursday.

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Researchers say everyone has a role to play by watching out for signs of abuse.

“We can’t just put this on police. There are so many flags earlier on,” Wells said.

Last year the Calgary Police Service responded to over 4,000 domestic violence incidents.

“If we want to keep victims safe, we need to stop male perpetration, which means understanding that domestic violence is not just a policing issue; it’s a community issue, and we need a robust community response,” Wells said.

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Sannes said the research highlights the importance of engaging with men earlier and before abusive behaviour escalates.

“Investing in and supporting men is a very important step in ending domestic violence and it does increase safety in the lives of women and children.

“Men play an important role in promoting respectful, nonviolent relationships that will help shift and change the conversation,” Sannes said. “We believe that perpetrators can and do change.”

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