Using Indigenous Restorative Justice to Reduce Gender-Based Violence

Real Humanitarian

Guatemala, with a population of only 17 million, is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. In a country where a woman is murdered every 12 hours, a lack of effective violence prevention and response services is not only dangerous, it’s deadly.

What’s more, poverty is rampant, with some 59.3% of the population living below the poverty line. Over 40% of the Guatemalan population is under the age of 15, therefore investment in youth is critical for social change.

Through the support of FIT, Real Humanitarian and local partner SERniña/REALgirl tested the impact and effectiveness of a holistic, family-centered, gender equity focused violence prevention and response program in El Hato, Guatemala. The innovative, ‘Holistic 3-Pronged Approach’ (H3P) included:

a) comprehensive violence response programs for victims of abuse,

b) family trauma healing and empowerment sessions, and

c) community violence prevention education.

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A key part of the H3P Approach included incorporating Mayan restorative justice methodologies, offering a healing-focused approach to violence prevention and response, and engaging whole families including boys and men throughout the process.

Recognizing that most violence is perpetrated by men, who demonstrate some of the most patriarchal viewpoints, it was crucial to involve them throughout the entire project. The H3P Approach engaged boys and men in meaningful ways throughout the entire process, and in all three prongs of our approach.

Positive Masculinity programs were run parallel to the girl/women empowerment programs.

Boys and fathers were included and provided specialized healing therapies in the family interventions, while male victims of violence also received comprehensive violence response services. In addition, male perpetrators engaged with the violence response services through a restorative justice approach. Bi-Weekly Workshops were held for fathers during the testing.  Beneficiaries and local staff acknowledged this as a critical component to the project’s success.

Here is just one of many such success stories:

Don* is a Maya-Q'eqchi' man who, at the age of 19, was forcibly recruited during the Civil War by the Guatemalan army. For indigenous men who were forced to participate in the decades long Guatemalan Civil War, the trauma they experienced by being forced to brutalize and kill their own people was significant. Many experts today attribute the extremely high incidence of gender-based violence to the impact the war had on many Guatemalan men and the legacy of violence it left in its wake. 

Eventually, Don ended up in El Hato, a small town in the mountains just outside of Antigua, got married and became a father. Unfortunately, his trauma remained present in his life.  Don used alcohol as a coping mechanism at times became violent with his wife and children.

Don and his wife signed up for the innovative H3P program. He began attending the men's workshops and from there he requested 1:1 therapy support with the male support therapist.

Don became one of a handful of men who requested couples’ workshops. At first, his wife did not want to attend. So, he bravely attended couples’ workshops alone. Eventually, as the relationship between Don and his wife improved, they began attending together.  

In therapy, Don recognized that a core struggle for him was his lack of self-worth and overwhelming self-hate. He did not believe he was worthy of respect and appreciation for who he was or his contributions. To help him see himself as someone with skills and knowledge, the SERniña (REALgirl) team encouraged him to plan activities in the community for youth. He planned an artisanal 'kite making' workshop for community children, reconnecting them to a local cultural tradition.

Over the course of the project, Don significantly reduced his consumption of alcohol. He began recognizing his wife’s value and began involving her in family and financial decisions. He began helping more equitably at home.  

This is a restorative justice success story.

Even though Don was a perpetrator of violence in his home, he was directly involved in the healing process. He was treated with compassion and understanding of the ‘why’ behind much of his violent behavior. This allowed him to begin healing his own trauma and take responsibility for his actions, thus improving the relationship with his family and bringing healing and safety to his wife.  

Today, Don acts as a community leader, encouraging other men to get involved as advocates for the program. 

*Disclaimer statement: to protect the privacy of the individual, Don is not the real name of the participant.

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