Anti-violence rehab course ‘dangerous’
Man Up graduate breaks his partner’s jaw. Matt Shand and Amber-Leigh Woolf report.
Women’s Refuge has branded as ‘‘dangerous’’ a Destiny Church anti-violence programme.
Man Up, a 15-week rehabilitation-style programme with 300 groups across the country, teaches men to ‘‘open up, not harden up’’ but has been plagued by complaints that its facilitators are teaching participants to blame their victims for their behaviour.
‘‘This stuff that’s being taught is dangerous and it’s got no place in 2019 New Zealand,’’ Women’s Refuge chief Ang Jury said.
‘‘If there’s somebody that’s supposed to be keeping them accountable, they’re not really doing a very good job.’’
One woman, whom the Sunday Star-Times has agreed not to name, said her partner broke her jaw the same day he graduated from the programme.
She immediately launched separation proceedings, but he later used the Man Up certificate in court as evidence of his good character.
‘‘He said he learned at the course it was my fault he was aggressive,’’ she said.
She thought he was lying at the time but after discovering another facilitator was stood down for the same message, ‘‘I thought, maybe it’s not a one-off’’.
Jury said Women’s Refuge had heard of this ‘‘more than once’’.
‘‘Men are being taught that if their wives and partners would just do as they’re told, and not wind them up, then they’d be OK.’’
Last week, the Star-Times revealed facilitator Junior Ponch was stood down for directly messaging a domestic violence survivor and telling her it was her fault if she provoked her partner.
Man Up confirmed it had launched an internal investigation and Ponch’s comments were unacceptable.
This week, Man Up director Caine Warren refused to discuss how the investigation was progressing, but, faced with a second complaint, said the course had ‘‘no tolerance for any type of violence towards women or children’’ and that it was a ‘‘very successful’’ programme.
‘‘Man Up takes that as a very strong stance . . . The course is very successful with changing men’s attitudes and behaviours, especially towards women.’’
A spokesperson for Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue said it was up to individual judges to assess which programmes should be taken into consideration for matters like bail or sentencing.
Organisations contracted by the Ministry of Justice must meet ‘‘strict criteria’’ but the weight given to other programmes was up to a judge, who ‘‘would want to be satisfied about the integrity and effectiveness of any such programme’’.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Justice southern regional manager Bruce Findlay said a trial run for a permanent Man Up stand in a Canterbury court was now being evaluated.
The Man Up Trust approached Canterbury court management in late December to offer their programme to court users, but had not made a formal application.
‘‘This stuff that’s being taught is dangerous and it’s got no place in 2019 New Zealand.’’ Women’s Refuge chief Ang Jury