Workshops to tackle violence in the home
Violence can occur in all sorts of gatherings and relationships. There has always been violence within the family but this was only recognised in Hong Kong starting in the late 1970s with child abuse, with abused wives in the early ’80s, and abuse of the elderly and disabled in more recent years.
However, it is difficult to say abuse has increased. What is true is that, as it is more recognised as a behaviour pattern, it becomes more visible. But arrest of abusers is not necessarily the best or only solution.
A number of family service NGOs in Hong Kong offer “treatment” for abusers as well as help and treatment for victims.
Alternatives to Violence Hong Kong is an NGO, a charitable agency working with others, and we organise two-day workshops in the community, and school or workplace.
The workshops are based on interactive experiential group learning, not lectures or treatment. The aim is to enhance participants’ self image and also improve their emotional quotient, to facilitate alternatives to handle conflict. We look into “power over”, which is exploitive and manipulative; “power for”, which is caring for one another; and “power with”, a cooperative effort between people.
