Addressing Culture in Batterers Intervention

Abstract

Many of the ideas in this article are derived from the Cultural Context Model (CCM), the community development and treatment model behind the work that is being done at the Institute for Family Services in Somerset, New Jersey. The CCM approaches intervention with batterers and their families from a perspective that acknowledges a multilayered experience of culture. More specifically, the treatment approach requires accountability from batterers and supports the empowerment of victims and children at the same time as it recognizes the impact of a number of social forces related to culture and cultural differences on communities, families, and individuals. These forces include such realities as sexism, racism, and heterosexism, as well as experiences with immigration, colonization, and capitalism. Although the treatment approach is applicable cross-culturally, this article primarily focuses on examples involving families from Asian Indian-American communities.