LA
VIOLÈNCIA FAMILIAR
(ASSOCIATION
OF WOMEN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)
The “Association of Women against Domestic Violence, TAMAIA” was born out of the initiative of a group of women who were victims of domestic violence and a group of professional social worker in 1992.
Their first objective was to create a support group for abused women to help them recover from the effects of abuses and the consequences of violence once they had left a women’s shelter or had legally and physically separeted from their agressors.
After the first meetings between social workers and women in the TAMAIA support group, it was decided to open the group to more abused women, and a permanent space for information about domestic violence and how to work with such victims was created.
TAMAIA receives funding from the City and Provincial Councils of Barcelona, the “Institut Català de la Dona” (Catalan Women’s Institute) and the “Institut Català de Serveis Socials” (Catalan Institute of Social Services), as well as, eventually, other sources.
THE GOALS AND WORK OF TAMAIA
The professionals of TAMAIA develop lines of work to help women recuperate from the effects of domestic violence. Through the experience of victims and reflection, the professionals at TAMAIA have redefined the process of recuperating from domestic violence. Given the powerful after effects, recovery is much more than the physical and legal separation from the agressor, but a complicated and difficult process for both the women as victims as well as their children.
Less recognized than the legal/physical aspects of the separation are the effects of the years these women have lived as victims of abuse, the types of abuse, physical and emotional wounds, the whole legal process, the isolation a woman feels, the after effects the children suffer, the problems she’s had with getting help from the start…
Domestic violence is the outcome of a process which includes precedents and routines and in the same way healing is also a difficult and slow process which needs specific support.
TAMAIA offers three specific programs.
PROGRAM 1. ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS
Individual
Assistance for Abused Women
This program is open to women who are becoming aware of the problems they live with as the result of identifying themselves as victims of domestic abuse, as wel as women who have already separeted physically and/or legally from their agressors and still have issues to face. We believe that supporting women in this process is crutial. Separating from an agressor often creates a dangerous situation for the woman and her children, not only because of physical danger, but the emotional, legal and social crisis created. TAMAIA also works with adolescent daughters of abused women.
TAMAIA services are free to women. Women of all social classes have come to TAMAIA for help. No matter what their economic status was before abuse, we can see that a woman becomes impoverished because of violence.
The only requirement to use TAMAIA’s services is the woman has to request assistance herself. But TAMAIA also works with the family and professionals, giving them information to pass on to the abused women.
This service aids aproximately 200 women a year.
Group
support
More than 40 women a year participate in group support sessions. At the moment there are three groups.
Women are welcome to join a support group after working individually with a TAMAIA councelor and are asked to commit to regularly attending the program for at least 11 sessions which they must keep confidential. We have two professionals to facilitate these monthly groups, in which participants work on their recovery through discussion and body work. The groups offer a safe haven for participants to share their diverse situations and physical and emotional well being. They get support to begin reconstructing their lives.
The facilitators use a variety of techniques including active listening and body work to help each woman and to learn to help each other, regardless of their differences.
Participating in a support group is free to the women.
PROGRAM 2.
COMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
Since TAMAIA’s beginnings, the organization has worked to make the public aware of the gravity of domestic violence. They have worked to publicize and educate society of the causes and elements that perpetuate domestic violence.
· The presence of myths and stereotypes that stigmatize the problem and the people involved, that perpetuate ideas such as: domestic violence only affects poor women, agressors are alcoholics, domestic violence is not a serious problem…
· The powerful socioculture issues defining men and women and the traditional roles of family.
· The need to create social change in where the victim of domestic violence is treated like the protagonist of her process.
· The importance of educating children against violence. Children who experienced domestic violence are in risk of continuing the cycle of violence against their partners, against society or against themselves (through drugs, alcohol, prostitution…).
· Increase awareness of domestic violence and the need for funding and legal and social resources to aid victims so that they don’t feel victimized by the system.
PROGRAM 3. RESEARCH AND TRAINNING
TAMAIA also works as consultant to professionals working in this field. TAMAIA’s trainning team develops educational programs and activities for public agencies aimed at professionals working with victims of domestic violence.
Through this collaboration TAMAIA has seen the need for specific trainning for social workers, police, legal and health care professionals, so these community services can better assist the victims of domestic violence.
TAMAIA trains 500 professionals yearly.
TAMAIA is participating in the first interdisciplinary Masters of Issues in Domestic Violence offered in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The association publishes research papers about domestic violence. Their first publication is a methodological guide for working with abused women, published by the Provincial government of Barcelona.
Professional
Staff
TAMAIA staff comes from variety of professional disciplines: educators, social workers, psychologists, family counselors and body workers who from their specialization in domestic violence create an interdisciplinary program to meet all the needs of the women they assist.
TAMAIA Team
Barcelona, October 2000