Gender-based violence remains an important public health and social justice issue in Antigua and Barbuda. However, advocates are now highlighting an important insight, that much of this behaviour is learned rather than being innate, which offers hope for effective intervention strategies.
Equality advocate Daryl George shared crucial perspectives on why men commit acts of violence against women and how rehabilitation might break the cycle.
“What we do know is, in many instances, it is a learned behavior,” George said, drawing connections between childhood experiences and adult behavior patterns.
“Persons who have committed domestic violence have themselves come from violent households growing up as a child. So many of them would have seen, interpreted these types of behaviors as normal, normalized them in their minds, and be more likely to carry them out,” George said.
This intergenerational transmission of violent behavior represents both a challenge and an opportunity, according to George. While early exposure to violence increases risk factors, recognizing this pattern also reveals potential intervention points.
George said that understanding root causes should never diminish accountability.
“What we must be aware of is that domestic violence is a choice,” he said emphatically.
“There’s no excuse for committing domestic violence, and it is something that must be stopped.
Persons committing domestic violence must take accountability and hold themselves accountable for that,” the equality advocate said.
Cultural conceptions of masculinity throughout the Caribbean create additional complications. George identified how distorted views of manhood often contribute to abusive dynamics.
“There are some men who think that as part of being a man, you are responsible for controlling what goes on in your household. Basically, that a woman’s decision or your partner’s decisions are subject to your approval or your disapproval. And in that way, by using violence, they feel that they can control their partner, which they feel is necessary in their role as a man,” he said.
Kieron Murdoch, communications officer with Integrated Health Outreach (IHO), pointed to rehabilitation programs as an essential but frequently overlooked component in addressing gender-based violence comprehensively.
“I think all around the world there is a struggle of nations to come to terms with the benefits of having offender reform programs. And I think perhaps where it is most important could be in instances like these, really, when you’re looking at things like gender-based violence,” Murdoch said
Local initiatives are already demonstrating promising results. The EMERGE program by the NGO (Together We Must) employs therapeutic interventions addressing underlying beliefs while providing support for both offenders and families.
George, who participated in the program, addressed its holistic approach.
“We worked with the men on their core beliefs, we worked with them in a psycho-educational workgroup, we had individual counseling sessions, and we also had counseling sessions and support where required for other family members,” he said.
