Is not a question of shame? An educated woman, financially independent, is it not the portrait of a victim of domestic violence.
HP: But, they are also victims, although the factors are multiples. A case is never equal to another when a person has four or five factors.
What are those factors that speak of?
HP: Generally, the fear. Today this is more a factor that weighs more in the equation of domestic violence. Afraid to speak, for cultural reasons, the marriage institution, of fear of losing their children, moral and religious convictions and image. There are always threats from perpetrators. Many of these conditions are cultural, mentality, education and training. Another factor to consider is that we live in a sexist society. What remains? I think it is not shame, because the statistics show, they face this reality with the notion that domestic violence is a public crime. They are aware that they need help, so the domestic violence should be denounced by all. It is a civic duty and ethical one. It's a long process that will bring many complications and sacrifice, commitment, and if people know that accreditation is for the better.
You referred the image, as the woman looks at herself, but should not be different? They are more educated, independent professionally and personal terms.
HP: Yes, but continue to accumulate from generation to generation stereotypes that come from education, culture and when people say they do not understand how it is accepted that the majority are women who educate these men? Because this was the way they were brought up. We must change the mentality and everything goes through the education and training. In parallel, the association in addition to supporting those who are already victims, bet heavily on the work of prevention, signs and awareness in schools where they are young people. I believe that change can only come through this route. It is the second phase of our work.
The case you mentioned, some of these women would eventually give up and return to their abusers?
HP: Often a woman return to that same space, into that early stage, know and we feel that this moment of rupture if it was the aggressor to leave the house eventually would be more fairer to them. The children have to move to another school environment, taking into account the need to take them to a shelter and that is very serious. We have no answer in this sense, what has to change is the law. It is not true that a woman who leaves the house loses everything. The problem results from the slowness of lawsuits that do not resolve these situations and extend thru time. If you come ask me what would solve this issue? Of course, many of the problems of the victim do not arise if the offender leaves the house. The most important issue in this matter is the safety of the victim and their children and then resolves the issues of property and shares all these court cases should be resolved more quickly, so the person can continue their new life. If you ask these women victims of domestic violence, what they think it is clear that there will be not tell you that the aggressor must stay with the family house, after they been massacred and she is the one who must leave home. Then there are situations where others take up residence with the abuser, the common and personal belongings and that ends up triggering a return. Our role is not to give importance to property, home and think about her well being, and to preserve herself as a human being and not to rely on an artificial image. But we know that it is difficult especially when you have children. Some of them also return to these relationships when the factor is alcohol, because they undergo treatment and say that they change. But as I said this is not the only factor. The hope and want to resolve the situation, makes the people think that relationships will result, they will be happy, be accompanied in a relationship of sharing and fellowship, even so, taking over these relations, have taken the decision to leave and seek help functions as a lever, it is always very positive, the woman go back, but not in the same way. She takes that life with more capabilities and strength to face a new situation. Of course, there are of them coming back again and again and then there is a final break. Only when she realizes that the cycle of violence is something that repeats itself and that even though some situations are addressed, others will surface.
There is now much talk about violence in dating. But it is something that already exists and was never reported, or is a recent phenomenon?
HP: I have no data and no scientific studies to prove it. But, of course domestic violence happens from courtship to adulthood. When we have an average female, between 35 years to 45 years of age, who come to us, they do not say they were the target of violence yesterday, or last year, the are victims ten or fifteen years. It was also unthinkable a few years ago we had 146 complaints and that there were so many people and institutions mobilized to help. I do not dare to say that did not exist, of course there was violence.
So starts while dating?
HP: Yes it is one of the signs that are dormant today, because when we interact with schools and young people are there are many of the obvious factors of domestic violence.
Let's talk about it. The association visits some of the schools in the island. What is the work you do?
HP: We are more present in three secondary schools with whom we have a more continuous work, Santa Cruz, Angelo Augusto da Silva, in Funchal and Camara de Lobos. Initially, there is a general awareness campaign, with several classes, with boys and girls together. We do not offer direct support, because we have no expertise in this area of prevention. We have some counties as a reference in which the incidence of domestic violence is higher, and then we propose that work with schools. We are open to anyone who seeks us and asks us to do an awareness campaign.
How do you see in these girls this potential problem?
HP: In the questioners we propose to raise awareness, among some interactive activities, quizzes, workshops and through the answers we found risk factors. One of the most blatant and obvious, is to ask the young women who date, how many times the boyfriend calls per day? If it is time and time again since leaving home and arriving at school, if he calls to see if there are delays, to know where you are, with who you are and where are you going. Most do not consider this as a sign of future violence. They attenuate by saying it is a love sign. Most young people always said that is concern to know where the person is. But, it can be. If I'm in a place for several hours, I'm not waiting for a phone every half hour. Our job is to explain exactly that. There must be a degree of privacy. Jealousy is another clear sign. There are young people who believe that her boyfriend show this feeling in an enhanced form is also a sign of love and don't want to lose her. This is another blatant signs that something is not right. Values that are in that person's mind are concerned, the young do not understand.
Suzanne Lucas is a researcher who is developing a work at the University of Coimbra at a national level, which includes the islands on the issue of violence in dating, we are delivering in these schools a deep questionnaire and the results are reliable data, will indicate what areas we need to act with young people. As an association, we had a simple quiz that help us to detect some cases, but not this deep. In the future is to extend, this partnership with the U.S. and Canada.
These schools when they contact the association because they detect some cases?
HP: Yes, we have many other schools that ask us to raise awareness. With the three schools I mentioned, we had a connection, not continuous, but kept a thorough and fruitful partnership. On February the 14th we started the new campaign. At the regional level we participated in the initiative "just as I want" was a profound work, which involved various partners and local authorities in order to raise awareness of domestic violence. From November 2010 until the end of 2011 we went through several counties, by immense schools with several teams with awareness. Noticed that these actions have had resulted in submissions of domestic violence, young people feel the problem and have another look at the family, the environment and neighborhood where they live. At the end of the sessions they often come to us and stress that they have a problem within the family, they ask what I can do. Give me a card, or a pamphlet. And we know that we have received several requests for help that came through the intervention of these young people. Hence my enthusiasm and concern to bet on younger generation, because they are mobilize for this work.
What do you need as an institution?
HP: Headline and most important for our work is to increase capacity. Increase the corridor in which we work, which is very small. We have already questioned whether it is right meet victims of violence, which bring many weaknesses and problems in a space so small. We meet in a hallway, the lobby and when they reach two or three people at once, we had to leave in order to make space to the people who come to us. Our motto is not without allowing anyone else to leave without being served, never sent people back, or say come back tomorrow. Never will be something that we do. Why? We know the constraints and courage that person had to have to get to the association and may be the last time that the woman actually had that power and to regret what can happen after that. I do not know what else to do. It appealed to various institutions and to the social security, more to the Department of tourism and transport that generates this space, we called several times to increase our service capacity occupying one room serving as a warehouse. We ask the corridor because there is the possibility of people coming through the main entrance, but all these requests were denied. Another great need we feel, and do not know how we will solve this, are the allocation of technicians. There are several areas in which we intervene in domestic violence, just to ensure this service with high quality; we must have full-time psychologist and a social worker. On call, the people we have are in a position of professional training through the institute of employment. Last orders to attach more technicians were rejected because there was no possibility of keeping them attached. The social worker who works in the association does it as a volunteer, but cannot sustain this situation for much longer, because she needs to survive and the contract of the psychologist ends in February. The association currently has no financial capacity to maintain a salary for technicians. Project management education and raising awareness is also done in stages by young professionals, I know that for them was very positive for us as well, their enthusiasm, but what happens? The team is unstable; there is an adjustment period because when people gain impulse, after nine months they have to leave. We need an effective team with a psychologist, a social worker and someone from the area of education for awareness campaigns. But there is volunteering? Eventually there is. We need someone to do a work in progress, I cannot depend on one person can do a week service, but not every single week. The psychologist is still attached to the association to follow cases from previous years. This implies a great confidence between the parties and a mutual empathy. We are trying everything, through the institute of employment, to protect the technicians we currently have in terms of valences that requires our ongoing work that is caring for victims of violence. However, I do not know how far we can continue to work this way because I accumulate several functions, coordinate educational areas and give support in terms of service to the association. The social aspect has greatly increased, because there is a need to monitor the families, to avoid future situations and although they talk of crisis. We call the various entities, but we cannot live on hope. We would also have the ability to be able to support women after the departure of the shelter and those who return to their homes, to make a more profound attendance. There is an informal space within the association where they could exchange experiences. Some women find that their problem is much bigger, and when she hears that with other is spectacular, because they feel they are not alone, nor that they are the only ones.
