Developing Cultural Responsivity in Domestic Violence Training Programs

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In our blog from 18 December 2023, ‘The Crucial Role of Intercultural Competence in the Context of Domestic Violence’, we discussed how ‘culture’ plays a central role in combatting domestic violence. Building on this, it became obvious that integrating intercultural competence into training programmes is not only beneficial, but essential to create effective, compassionate and sustainable support systems for those affected by domestic violence. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Intercultural learning underpins the effective design of domestic violence trainings. It is about acquiring mindsets, socio-emotional skills and behavioural repertoires that cross cultural boundaries, promote societal transformation and drive long-term change in curricula, leadership styles and health systems. 

In this context it is important to recognise that intercultural competence goes beyond the skills of an individual and affects systems on a larger scale (see Pyles & Kim, 2006). Evidence of the positive relationship between individual and systemic cultural competence underscores the need for an integrated approach that emphasises not only the skills but also the attitudes and behaviours that facilitate interactions in multicultural settings.

MAKING ‘CULTURE’ RELEVANT TO THE CONTEXT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Culture gives meaning to interactions, situations, encounters and motivates actions. Many trainings still tend to address ‘culture’ as a static entity (an ‘enclosed thing’, i.e. culture A and culture B) rather than a dynamic concept that emerges from diverse experiences and interactions. However, it is not a ‘fixed entity’ but rather an emergent phenomenon that shapes the neurological wiring of human beings, i.e. it is not so much a ‘thing’ as it exists in relationships and interactions that emerge from diverse experiences. It is crucial in training to define ‘culture’ from various disciplinary angles and make culture relevant to the respective context. This includes recognising how culture mediates experiences of violence, influences help-seeking behaviour (Rai, 2021), and determines the risk factors and values that individuals hold (Kim & Zane, 2016). It is important for trainers to move beyond simplistic definitions of culture and emphasise more integrative, bio-socio-cultural avenues to intercultural competence emphasising the idea that culture is ’embrained’ (Northoff, 2016): a part of who we are that shapes the way we perceive and interact with the world.

Introducing key ideas from an integrative framework of intercultural competence (Breninger, 2021) and linking them to the concept of cultural responsiveness should be part of any domestic violence training. This framework emphasises the need to go beyond the superficial level of cultural sensitivity and address deeper issues such as empathy, cultural humility, trust and respect. Trainings should focus on how to establish respectful interactions in order to build trust, safety and well-being by treating people not as you would like to be treated, but as they would like to be treated by you.

THE ROLE OF AFFECTIVE ITEMS AND AUTHENTIC STORIES

A central component of intercultural competence trainings is the inclusion of ‘affective’ elements, and authentic stories. These elements enable trainees to engage with the emotional dynamics of complex socio-emotional situations (Colombetti, 2017; Shiota, 2021), which are essential for coping with and understanding the multi-layered nature of domestic violence. By incorporating stories from victims, survivors and activists from different backgrounds, training programmes can inspire empathy and encourage action (Armstrong 2020; Mesquita et al. 2017). The underlying idea here is that the mind cannot be separated from its affective nature.

ACHIEVING TRANSFERABILITY AND ADDRESSING INTERSECTIONALITY

DESIGNING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TRAININGS

Here are some practical considerations for culturally responsive domestic violence trainings:

1. Use an Integrative Framework of Culture: take an interdisciplinary approach to culture and link it to cultural responsiveness, addressing the central role not only of the cognitive domain but also of culturalised perception, affect and behaviour.
2. Include Creative and Affective Training Items: Design creative items, as creativity plays an important role in fostering the desire to postpone cognitive closure and promoting positive affect. Emotions give meanings to situations and motivate action hence it is important to include affective items. However, given that emotional experience is culturally constructed, one must bear in mind that an individual’s fit with the cultural norm of emotion is associated with well-being and ‘meaningfulness’.
3. Integrate Self-Reflection Exercises: engage in regular self-reflection to recognise and reduce personal biases and assumptions. This ongoing process is critical to fostering an open, empathic training environment. Engaging in self-reflective exercises is necessary for self-awareness, which in turn is closely linked to cultural responsiveness.
4. Take an Intersectional Approach: cast intersecting perspectives onto an event to understand and address the mutually reinforcing factors of discrimination and disadvantages that may affect survivors of domestic violence. This approach recognises the complex realities of people’s identities and experiences.
5. Adapt Training Materials: Adapt training materials to the cultural diversity of participants. Ensure that the examples, scenarios and resources are relevant and take into account different backgrounds and worldviews.
6. Collaborate with Communities: Partner with leaders and organisations that serve diverse populations. These collaborations can provide deeper insights into specific cultural nuances and needs.
7. Implement Feedback Mechanisms: Create robust mechanisms for feedback from training participants, especially those from underrepresented groups. Use this feedback to make adjust and improve the training programmes.
8. Provide Accessibility: ensure that training and advocacy services are accessible to people from all cultural backgrounds. This includes considerations for language, disability access and culturally sensitive communication methods.
9. Commit to Ongoing Education: Commit to continually educating yourself about different cultures, including historical contexts, societal structures and current challenges. This knowledge is the foundation for understanding the diverse experiences of victims and survivors.
10. Offer a Multilevel Perspective: There are positive relationships between individual intercultural competence and systems cultural competence. Trying to understand how inequalities are manifested and exacerbated by organisations and workplaces means openly addressing and challenging systemic failures. Embark on this uncomfortable journey and address the responsibility to act to drive change.

To summarise, the path to being culturally responsive in domestic violence trainings is multi-faceted and requires a deep commitment to intercultural learning and understanding. By foregrounding the dynamic role of culture, focusing on empathy, and fostering an environment of trust and respect, training programmes can equip advocates with the necessary tools to effectively support victims and survivors. Ultimately, the goal is to create a more inclusive, empathic and responsive community that is prepared to address the complexities of domestic violence in all its cultural manifestations.

For further exploration and resources on this critical topic, click here and join us in advancing the conversation on cultural responsivity in domestic violence support and advocacy.

MORE INFORMATION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

If you are interested to learn more about domestic violence in the health sector, please visit our European training platform on domestic violence.

REFERENCES

Armstrong, Paul B. (2020). Stories and the Brain: The Neuroscience of Narrative.

Breninger, B. (2021). A Perceptual Architecture of Intercultural Competence.

Colombetti, G. (2017). The Feeling Body.

Herzog, M. H., et al. (2017). What is new in perceptual learning?

Kim, J. E., & Zane, N. (2016). Help-seeking intentions among Asian American and White American students.

Mesquita, B., Boiger, M. & De Leersnyder J. (2017). Doing Emotions: The role of culture in everyday emotions.

Northoff, G. (2016). Cultural Neuroscience and Neurophilosophy.

Pyles, L., & Kim, K. M. (2006). A multilevel approach to cultural competence.

Rai, A. (2021). Indirect experiences with domestic violence and help‐seeking preferences.

Shiota, M. N., et al. (2021). Positive affect and behavior change.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Birgit Breninger is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Sciences at the Paris-Lodron University Salzburg. She is acting President of the InterCultural Center (ICC), a research organization at Salzburg College. In 2005 she co-founded the Intercultural College at the University of Salzburg and has lead the executive graduate intercultural programmes for over 10 years. Dr. Breninger is chairwoman of the International Board of ICC Experts and author of the book A Perceptual Architecture of Intercultural Competence (2021). She has been teaching and researching internationally and intrigued various interdisciplinary audiences with her passion for culture & people.

Madina Iskazina is currently pursuing an MS in Digital Communication Leadership and International Development Studies at Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg (PLUS), Austria and Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands as an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Scholarship waiver. Her research aims to investigate networked feminism in authoritarian settings through a case study on Kazakhstan. She focuses on the use of social media as the main tool to amplify the voices of women affected by gender-based violence. Before starting her Master’s degree, Madina gained over five years of experience in communications and PR. She has been involved in development projects with the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations. At VIPROM, she is responsible for the communication strategy on behalf of PLUS and contributes to the development of the intercultural competence module.