FPA to rehabilitate domestic abusers

Family Protection Authority (FPA) on Wednesday said that plans are underway to launch a programme called 'Participatory Rehabilitation Programme' to reform domestic abusers, and that the programme’s manual has already been completed.

The parliamentary Human Rights and Gender Committee met with members of the Gender Ministry and FPA regarding the programme on Wednesday.

FPA CEO Ibrahim Thoyyib said that the purpose of the programme is to reform domestic abusers and make them responsible citizens of the community.

Thoyyib said that even though other relevant programmes such as anger management classes and couple therapy sessions are currently being carried out to cut down on domestic abuse cases, they have not yielded the best results.

He said efforts were underway to formulate a comprehensive rehabilitation programme that encompasses all the treatment angles, in collaboration with UNDP and other relevant authorities.

"Efforts from last year and this year have completed the programme’s treatment manual now," he said.

Thoyyib also noted that the programme has as yet some challenges that needed to  be addressed and said that they were working with UNDP to further improve it.

"We expect the project to be completed by the end of this year and hope that implementation can begin next year," he said.

Programme details:

The programme will be carried out as a 'closed' programme, which means a new group will  be enrolled upon completion of the treatment by the first group

Senior Policy Director at the gender ministry Muneeza Afeef said stakeholders have advised that the benefits of therapy increased by reducing the number of people in each group. She said the planned programme is being further reviewed.

Thoyyib said that the aim is to make this program out-of-prison. However, that will require a lot of resources and policies and that the programme will begin as a 'pilot' process, and prison-based.

"Discussions have now been held with Correctional Services to conduct this programme for prisoners that qualify the abusive criteria," he said.

Committee members expressed concern over the possibility of achieving results by initiating such a programme without first conducting a study on domestic violence.

Thoyyib said that such a study is currently underway and that the research is expected to be completed by 2024.

However, authorities asserted that this is the right time to start such a programme and there are enough statistics to back it.

"We have adequate information to launch such a program. If the programme is initiated and evaluated through a proper and effective monitoring system, the programme can be further improved on in the future," said Thoyyib.

Statistics on domestic violence:

Thoyyib said that the most important thing that can be done to curb domestic violence is by preventing it. He said that opening up signing for the rehabilitation programme is made voluntary to achieve that.

"The purpose is to identify violent tendencies and prevent ourselves from the threat of encroaching abuse," he said.