Domestic Violence for Female Young Adults - Essay Example

Group Proposal: Domestic Violence for Female Young Adults Introduction Any act of gender-based violence that may result to sexual, psychological or physical harm imposed on women is domestic violence. A matter such as threats of lack of freedom that may take place in a public or private life of a woman is also considered domestic violence against women (Ellseberg & Heise, 2004). The group is entailed of young women who are much interested to curb the menace of domestic violence against women in the society which will make each member in the group productive (Corey, 2008). As time progresses the domestic violence forms a pattern of abusive behavior and if it is not addressed in time it can become very dangerous. The awareness that is created in the group will ensure that no young female will be experience abuse that is related to domestic violence either knowingly or unknowingly. Every small aspect of domestic violence is tackled in the group such as shouting from a partner. There is a lot of strength that is acquired in women’s group as a result of support (Kees & Leech, 2004). Statistics related to domestic violence. The group tries to make the young female realize that they have no fault in domestic violence. The group will be there to help any abused young female in all means, whether the abused has limited finances or she has no one to count on as she is experiencing the violence the group will be there to help. The statistics in USA indicates that a there is a likelihood that, in a lifetime, a quarter of women experience domestic violence. Each year there are 1.3 million women who have survived domestic violence, only 15% of domestic violence women don’t survive and forced sex or sexual assault occurs in about 40-45% of all abusive relationships. Group Rules. The fact that those women wishing to participate in the groups are voluntary there will be strict rules that should be adhered to. The rules will be discussed in the first group session and if any member feels that she can’t cope with the rules she has the right to choose not to participate. The rules proposed for the group are; 1. Punctuality. Each member is required to arrive five minutes before the stipulated time. This skill is particularly imperative especially in reporting the violence to authority on time. 2. Respect should be paramount in the group; it should start from you, colleagues in the group and the invited guest in the group. 3. No cell phone will be allowed to be switched on while the session is in progress, only special cases will be allowed but permission should be granted by the group leader. 4. All discussions should revolve around domestic violence; any other topic won’t be discussed in the group. 5. Side conversations are prohibited as they are a source of distraction they should be shared to the entire group. 6. Absenteeism without apology won’t be tolerated in the group. Group goals The major goal of initiating this group is to sensitize young women on the effect of domestic violence to their life. The group will also aim at restoring self-esteem to the young women who have or are experiencing domestic violence in their life. So as each person can have a sense of belonging and fit perfectly in the group, the groups meeting is stratified into two. There will be group meetings for females aged 15-19 years that will be held on Tuesday from 7:00-8:15pm and groups meetings for females aged between 20-25 years will be held on Wednesday the same time. During these sessions the groups are supposed to achieve various goals. The goals for the first week are meant for each member to familiarize herself with the group structure and a brief introduction of each member. It will also aim to define in depth what domestic violence is. The second week goals are meant to build self-esteem among the group members. This will be achieved by encouraging them to speak out their experiences on domestic violence. Self-confidence will be imposed to the young female to enable them face domestic violence. The goals for the third week will be aimed to educate the women on the importance of self-empowerment. Most women experience domestic violence due to lack of self-empowerment hence they persevere the violence because of the reliance they have on the abuser. Employment is one of the avenues which one can seek self-empowerment and self-reliance, thus writing an impeccable resume and entrepreneur skill will be included. The goals for the fourth week are meant to instill knowledge on how to manage domestic violence. If the violence culminates to physical damage, members will be taught on the legal and health option to consider. The group will also aim to explore the option of counseling to those who are suffering emotionally as a result of domestic violence. The fifth and final week’s goal is to evaluate what has been learnt throughout the process as well as pinpointing the hurdles that can make the objectives not to be achievable. It will also be aimed to identify the legal channels that should be followed in case of domestic violence occurrence. An initial Q&A assessment will be used to members upon completion of the group to measure progress in relation to realizing the identified goals. If this objectives are achieved it will be deemed that at the women have achieved the necessary knowledge and skills to handle domestic violence issues appropriately. Group structure. Structure of the group is very crucial as it determines whether a healthy therapeutic group will be achieved. The group leader will be obliged to convey the structure of the group as she discusses the rules of the group during the first meeting. The importance of attendance will be emphasized in regard to the group structure and the procedure to follow if one misses a session as well as the manner in which she should communicate if she doesn’t attend (Waack et al., 2004 p.40). The group will be a closed group, which means that what was discussed in previous sessions won’t be recapped in consequent sessions. Members with difficulties attending the group when they can’t find someone to take care for their children should not worry as child care services are provided to the group participants. There is also free medical checkup for members who have experienced any form of assault as a result of domestic violence. Any other special need that is affordable can be considered to be provided to a member participating in the group. References Corey, G. (2008). Theory & Practice of Group Counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Kees, N, & Leech, N, (2004). Practice trends in women’s groups. In Delucia-Waack, J.D., Gerrity, D.A., Kalodner, ,C.R. & Riva, M.T. (2004). Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy. (pp. 445-455). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Mary Ellseberg and Lori Heise (2004). Gender Based Violence: A Human Rights Issue, 23. Available at http://www.kit.nl/net/KIT_Publicaties_output/showfile.aspx?e=1021. Read More