Study highlights missed opportunities to engage male perpetrators of violence against women

In the midst of the national crisis of men’s violence against women in Australia, a new Monash University report reveals new evidence on the urgent need to improve men’s engagement in behavior change programs.

The report reveals housing stability, employment status, and court mandated program attendance as key risk factors impacting genuine engagement in behavior change.

Behavior change programs are seen as one vital component of the broader strategy needed to prevent future abuse by enhancing perpetrator accountability and intervening with people who use violence.

The report, “Engaging in change: A Victorian study of perpetrator program attrition and participant engagement in men’s behavior change programs,” is the largest Australian study of men’s engagement with behavior change programs. The findings provide insights into factors affecting engagement and retention in behavior change programs.

Lead author of the report, Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, said the report identifies numerous opportunities to enhance current interventions for people using violence.

“Our study shows that there are mixed understandings of what constitutes success when engaging men in behavior change,” said Professor Fitz-Gibbon.

“The experiences of program participants’ family members in our study demonstrates why program attendance, or completion in and of itself, should not be equated with behavior change.

“Practitioners told us that housing stability is crucial for program eligibility and for supporting attendance, engagement and completion of a program. Men who do not have stable accommodation are more likely to skip group sessions and to exit the program early. It is then highly challenging to monitor and manage their ongoing risk where no fixed address is provided.”

The report recommends the expansion of housing options for people who have been exited from their primary residence, potentially as part of intervention order conditions. This should be part of the wider strategy to address perpetration. Importantly, housing for people using violence should not come at the cost of providing adequate accommodation options for victim-survivors.

Co-author Dr. Jasmine McGowan explained that court mandated attendance was viewed as problematic by family members and practitioners, as the court order might initiate attendance but did not guarantee longer-term engagement in behavioral change.

“These men were often viewed as motivated primarily by self-serving outcomes, such as gaining access to children, complying with court orders, or avoiding further criminal justice intervention,” said Dr. McGowan.

Data collected for this project involved an online survey and interviews with program participants, interviews with affected family members, and focus groups with men’s services practitioners. The study also presents data collected from a range of Victorian service providers to capture program completion rate patterns.

Notwithstanding the significant government investment to date in men’s behavior change programs, in order to ensure program integrity and better outcomes, the research calls for sustained funding models. This will also enable the collection of valuable longitudinal data to further inform the evidence based on perpetrator interventions.

“The current approach to working with men who use violence is missing opportunities to more effectively engage men in behavior change, to keep their risk visible and to hold them accountable. These missed opportunities represent critical moments where victim-survivor safety could have been improved,” Professor Fitz-Gibbon said.

This study aims to inform future advancements in these programs to enhance victim-survivor safety, improve perpetrator engagement and accountability and, ultimately, reduce repetition of abusive behaviors and escalation of family violence. While the data is Victorian specific, the findings are relevant nationally.