Erika L. Sánchez, NBC Latino – Article
Turning the page on domestic violence through a cultural lens *
(11:06 am on 08/02/2012)
At the Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, Claudia Pineda is helping prevent domestic violence. Pineda is a domestic violence treatment specialist who uses culturally-specific programs to target the roots of violence and change behaviors. She is helping keep women safe, and more importantly, hoping to alter family behavior for generations to come.
Pineda described the transformation of a man who attended her program. When he first showed up, he blamed his partner and substance abuse for his violent and controlling behavior. In the support group, Pineda and other professionals helped him learn he had control over his behavior and helped him identify his abusive tendencies. After treatment, the man was able to speak honestly about his past behavior, which was difficult for him to admit. Pineda says this breakthrough can have a lasting impact on a family and a community.
“By helping this man, we have helped his ex-wife, his future female partners, his son and those women with whom his son will come into contact,” Pineda says.
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*republished with Erika’s permission for NBC Latino.
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Erika L. Sánchez is a poet and freelance writer living in Chicago. She is currently the sex and love advice columnist for Cosmopolitan for Latinas and a contributor for NBC Latino, The Huffington Post, and others. Her poetry has appeared in Pleiades, Drunken Boat, Witness, Anti-, Hunger Mountain, Crab Orchard Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Copper Nickel, and others. She has written book reviews for Kirkus Reviews and her nonfiction has been published in Jezebel, AlterNet, and Ms. Magazine. She is currently working on a novel. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or erikalsanchez.com.
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