Domestic violence program speaks their language

This free program is for Spanish-speaking men to prevent domestic violence. This program is needed in many communities, and usually has great results. DP

By Liz Mineo/MetroWest Daily News staff

A local service agency has launched a program for Spanish-speaking immigrant men in MetroWest to prevent domestic violence.

The program is similar to one that has been offered in English and Portuguese for men through Wayside Men Against Violence for nearly two years in the Milford area.

With the offering of the service in Spanish and in Framingham, program coordinator Percy Andreazi hopes to reach a growing population in MetroWest. According to the 2005 MetroWest Health Data Book & Atlas, published by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, in 2000 there were 16,362 Hispanics, who accounted for 3.6 percent of MetroWest's population.

"We want them to benefit from the program the same way Portuguese-speaking men have benefited," Andreazi said. "There have been great results."

Horrified by the murder of Carla Souza and her 11-year-old son, Caique, at the hands of her husband, Jeremias Bins, Andreazi came up with the idea of tailoring the program to Brazilian men in 2007.

Featuring individual counseling and community workshops, the program aims to prevent and reduce family conflicts by looking at the roots of violent behavior and risk factors.

Hispanics and Brazilian immigrants share many risk factors that make them vulnerable to domestic violence, but there was a need to serve Hispanic men in their own language, said Enrique Mendez, a program counselor.

A psychologist in his native Dominican Republic, Mendez is pursuing a master's degree at Boston College. He'll be in charge of offering individual counseling and workshops for the Spanish-speaking community.

"We want to help them understand the roots and the consequences of violence," he said. "We want to teach them how to manage stress and solve conflicts without using violence. We don't want more fatal cases of domestic violence in our communities."

Services are free. The program is funded by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation. The program is offered in Framingham in collaboration with Voices Against Violence.

For more information, call 508-478-6888, ext. 165, for Wayside Men Against Violence Program, Portuguese-speaking program, and ext. 235 for the Spanish-speaking program.