BATTERERS IN THE WORKPLACE

1. BATTERERS IN THE WORKPLACE EAPA CONFERENCE 10/15/05 PHILADELPHIA, PA.

2. Agenda • Indicators of domestic violence –victim and perpetrator. • Batterers • Instruments to access lethality. • How can EAP help

3. Domestic Violence • Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners.

4. Recent Statistics • Intimate partner violence victimization causes a total of 1.4 billion days of lost productivity among women in the U.S. every year (National Center for Injury Prevention Control, 2003)

5. Recent Statistics (cont.) • Each time an employed woman is assaulted by her partner she misses an average of seven days of work and requires $ 816.00 worth of medical and mental health care (Ibid). As a result, more then 4.1 billion dollars are spent on victim’s healthcare costs in the U.S. annually.

6. Recent Statistics (cont.) • Recent statistics suggest that 75% of victims are harassed at work by their abuser (Swanberg & Logan, 2005). Many victims of IPV have difficulty remaining at their jobs (Moc & Bell, 2004) which increases turnover costs.

7. Recent Statistics (cont.) • And, battered women are at increased risk for alcohol and drug dependence, chronic stress and a range of physical health problems which may present hidden costs to employers (Hathaway, Silverman et al., 200; Plichta, 2004).

8. Indicators For Victim • Employee who claims to be accident prone; injuries or bruises without explanation, or with inconsistent explanation. • Employee who is pregnant and seems fearful or afraid. • Signs of distress/anxiety, particularly after phone calls or visits from partner. • Frequent absences from work

9. Employee who mentions stress at home. • Employee who receives frequent personal phone calls. • Employee who mentions her/his partner’s anger or temper. • Intimate partner frequently shows up at work

10. Decreased productivity, lack of concentration, inattentiveness. Marked change in work habits. • Employee has little or no access to money. • Employee is isolated from co workers, friends.

11. Indicators of Perpetrators • Frequent absences from work. • Excessive personal calls. • Phone number or address change. • Derogatory comments about wife, significant other. • Unavailable at different times during the work day. • Injuries to self or coworkers

12. Use of Workplace to Perpetrate Violence Maine Department of Labor Study 02/04 • 78% of offenders used workplace resources to express anger, remorse, “check on” partner or threaten partner. • 73% of supervisors were aware of offenders arrest.

13. Batterers General Characteristics Repeat Offenders Lethal Offenders

14. Lethality Assessment Instruments • Barbara Hart’s Questionnaire • Jacquelyn Campbell’s Dangerousness Assessment tool • Boston Police Department • Victim’s Voice

15. Threats of Homicide or Suicide • The abuser has threatened to kill the abused partner, the children, her relatives or himself.

16. Fantasies of Homicide or Suicide • The abuser has expressed ideas, dreams or fantasies about killing the abused partner, the children, her relatives, or himself. Someone who has previously acted out part of a homicide or suicide fantasy may be invested in killing as a viable “solution” to his problems.

17. Fantasies of Homicide or Suicide (cont.) • As with suicide, the risk is greater if the person making threats is very specific about his plans or intended methods.

18. Availability and/or past use of weapons • When an abuser possesses weapons and has used them, or threatened to use them, in his past assaults the battered woman, the children, others, or himself, his access to those weapons increases his potential for lethal assault. Access and use of guns or knives to threaten or harm is a strong indicator of homicide risk.

19. Strangulation, Suffocation and Arson • If the abuser has previously used his hands to strangle or suffocate his partner, there is a higher risk of homicide. There is a higher risk if the abuser has a history of arson, or has made threats of arson.

20. “Ownership” of the Abused Person • The abuser who says, “You can never leave me” or “If I can’t have you, nobody else can” or “Death before divorce” may be stating a fundamental belief that the battered woman has no right to live a life apart from him.

21. “Ownership” of the Abused Person (Cont) • An abuser who believes and states that he is absolutely entitled to his partner, her services, her obedience and her loyalty, no matter what, should be considered at high risk for serious assaults and homicide.

22. Centrality of the Partner • An abuser who idolizes his partner, or depends heavily on her to organize and sustain his life , or isolates himself from all other aspects of community life, may retaliate against her if she decides to end the relationship. He may rationalize that her “betrayal” justifies lethal retaliation.

23. Separation Violence • When an abuser believes that he is about to lose his partner and can’t envision life without her, or if the separation causes him great despair or rage, he may resort to more severe violence in an attempt to ‘recapture’ or to punish her. Be mindful that separation time is a very high-risk period for victims of abuse.

24. Stalking, Hostage-taking or Abduction • If the abuser has repeatedly violated protective orders, followed the abused partner around, harassed his partner in public or over the phone, spied on the partner or otherwise monitored her moves, he is at higher risk to commit serious assaults and homicide.

25. Stalking, Hostage-taking or Abduction (Cont.) • If he has previously held his partner or the children hostage, or threatened to abduct the children, he is also at higher risk. Between 75% and 90% of all hostage takings in the United States are domestic violence related.

26. Depression • When an abuser has been acutely depressed and sees little hope for moving beyond the depression, he may be more likely to commit homicide or suicide. Some research has revealed that many men who are hospitalized for depression have homicidal fantasies directed at family members.

27. Escalation of the Abuser’s Violence or Risk • The abuser’s violent or dangerous behaviors may increase in frequency or become more severe prior to attempting homicide. The abuser may begin to act without regard to the legal or social consequences that previously constrained his violence.

28. Frequent Alcohol of Drug Use • Many abusers consume alcohol or drugs. Most who consume do not inflict serious or lethal assaults. The excessive, frequent use of alcohol or drugs increases the likelihood of serious or lethal assaults.

29. Campbell’s Danger Assessment • Calendar • Quick • Yes/no answers • Makes victim think!

30. Boston Police Department Tool

31. Boston Police Report Dangerous Suspect Assessment • The suspect owns or has access to guns. • The violence is getting more severe or more frequent. There is a history of abuse. • The victim believes suspect could kill him/her and victim feels he/she is in danger. • The suspect has tried to strangle the victim. • The suspect is obsessed with or is stalking the victim.

32. Boston Police Report Dangerous Suspect Assessment (cont.) • Jealous threats (ie) if I can’t have you , no one can. • The suspect controls most or all of victim’s daily activities. • There has been a recent separation or divorce within the last six months. • Physical harm to any children present • Suspect is violent outside the home.

33. Victim Voice • Listen to the story. • Ask opened ended questions. • Trust victim’s instinct, trust your own instinct.

34. Training- for all, top down- Harman Industries experience Partner with local battered woman’s program, identify allies. Know local resources. Incorporate DV training into existing training Add DV info to existing safety curricula How Can EAP Help