Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention (ADAPT)

ADAPT’s approach emphasises healing and recognises what it perceives as the inherent goodness in everyone. It is committed to changing the social values and structural factors that perpetuate violence against women by promoting a spirit of interdependence, mutual respect and co-existence between women and men. The organisation is concerned with the black family that has been most affected by violence in the home and in the society of South Africa.

ADAPT adopted a holistic approach to dealing with the causes of domestic violence. The majority of ADAPT activities that occur at the community level focus on prevention while service delivery and broader level advocacy is carried out at the local and national level. Its strength lies within its community-based prevention efforts.

It developed a community empowerment model which emphasises the influence and responsibility of the whole community in gender based violence (GBV) prevention. The core of the approach is facilitating change within individuals and the community. It emphasises the importance of changing attitudes and behaviours that perpetrate violence and maintains that this change must occur at an individual level with women and men as well as within local institutions.

The community empowerment model recognises that while men are the primary perpetrators of GBV, they also need to be central in the solution. By adopting the model, communities can address the problem through combined individual efforts and collective institutional change.

Gender, Rights.

Recognising the importance of working with men at the community level in order to affect meaningful change, ADAPT established a men’s programme in 1997. Its objectives were to:

• end men’s violent and aggressive behaviour toward women and other men.
• create healing circles for men.
• help men take responsibility for their violence and develop alternative ways of dealing with conflict.
• increase men’s understanding of the root causes of violence in society.
• develop intervention programmes that focus largely on preventing violence from occurring.

The programme activities include:

• Counselling and support services for men. This includes one-on-one support, couple counselling and men’s support groups within the community.
• Gender sensitivity training for men. Community-based participatory workshops provide forums for men to examine concepts such as gender, masculinity, relationships, violence and rights.
• Trauma counselling training for men. ADAPT trains interested male volunteers on trauma counselling to enable them to effectively assist men who are not comfortable or find it difficult to accept counselling services from a female counselor.
• Public events. High-profile events such as drama and men’s marches can help put new ideas and issues into the public domain. When large numbers of people are involved, it generates considerable interest and momentum. Mentorship for boys in local schools and youth groups. Responsible male adults, who adhere to positive family values, hold responsible jobs and participate actively in community initiatives are requested to mentor young boys who are in local schools and youth clubs.
• Engaging men in community development issues. ADAPT encourages men to join women who are active in community initiatives, e.g., safety audits, cleaning campaigns and economic empowerment initiatives.
• Outreach to taverns/shabeens. These drinking places provide ideal opportunities to engage men in a relaxed and informal way. ADAPT staff discuss alcohol abuse, violence and masculinity in these venues where men feel non-threatened.

Update (September 29 2006):
ADAPT was started by Mmatshilo Motsei after she undertook a study in 1991on the identification of battered women in health care settings. The study involved a review of 400 records of women visiting Alexandra Clinic for treatment of physical injuries. The overall aim of the study was to see if doctors and nurses were conscious and sensitive to women victims of violence.

The study revealed that health workers were not trained to identify and treat gender violence appropriately. Further, the study recommended an establishment of a clinic-based centre for abused women - a move that resulted in the establishment of ADAPT. From 1992 -1994 Mmatshilo Motsei operated as a sole staff member of the project without any funding. Funding was secured in 1994.