Addressing the Complexities of Family and Relationship Violence
Using Culture to Say, ‘Violence Is Never Okay’
When Jessica Nunan, interim executive director of Caminar Latino in Atlanta, Georgia, asked the high-risk young people in her relationship violence prevention group whether Latinos experienced violence differently than other racial and ethnic groups, they considered her question thoughtfully and answered in a word.
No.
They didn’t think violence was more common or more accepted among Latinos. And the reasons they saw for the violence—alcohol and money—were often the same for Latinos and their non-Latino peers.
“They said that culture didn’t really matter,” Nunan says. “That violence affects all populations equally.”
While stereotypes viewing some groups as more violent than others can hamper violence prevention, experts say that culture does matter when teaching young people to recognize and avoid relationship violence. Providing culturally competent interventions ensures that runaway and homeless young people get the strongest possible message that violence—whether physical, emotional, or sexual—is never okay.
Some tips for providing culturally competent care >> |
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