Men united against family violence: Preventing sexual and intimate partner violence within the Latino migrant community

Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) is addressing the roots of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence (SV/IPV) in Latino migrant communities. This new strategy gets men involved by increasing their knowledge of factors that contribute to SV/IPV and its consequences, changing attitudes and beliefs that support SV/IPV, increasing the skills for preventing SV/IPV and mobilizing men to prevent and stop SV/IPV in their communities.

Men United against Family Violence began in 2005 with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the first project aimed at the primary prevention of both sexual and intimate partner violence in the Latino migrant community in the United States. At the beginning of this initiative, MCN conducted surveys at five locations throughout the country on the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors held by Latino migrant men with respect to SV/IPV. The research results demonstrated that the problem is acknowledged by men in the community and there exists a personal willingness to address the problem. A bilingual curriculum was designed for the target population based on the study. In 2007, male faciltators in three different sites began using the curriculum to facilitate workshops with groups of Latino migrant men. The workshop facilitators are excited about the progress they have made and the responsiveness of the men to the intervention. Participants have demonstrated real changes in their attitudes and the desire to speak out against violence in the community. This presentation seeks to inspire greater male involvement in SV/IPV prevention.