NCJ Number
113583
Date Published
1984
Length
88 pages
Annotation
This curriculum focuses on domestic violence and uses educational presentations and activities to help young people understand what battering is, how and why it happens, how to confront it if it occurs, and how to keep relationships from being abusive.
Abstract
The curriculum, designed to be used by teachers, other educators, shelter workers, and youth advocates, is divided into four sections. Section one defines domestic violence and battering, especially battering of women in intimate relationships. Section two presents statistics, explanations, facts, and historical traditions that describe woman-battering, and it dispels the most common myths about domestic violence. In section three, the social and psychological dynamics that contribute to the high incidence of battering are explored. Discussion topics focus on sex-role expectations, exposure to violence, the need for preparation for and realistic expectations of marriage, the cyclical nature of violence in relationships, and societal attitudes which encourage battering. The unit on prevention skills provides alternatives to violence such as handling feelings, coping with stress, communication, conflict resolution, and assertion. Each section includes a set of objectives, background information and educational activities such as exercises, guided discussions, role play, and story telling. 22 references.