Annex 3

I. SOCIAL STRESS MODEL APPLIED TO THE VIOLENCE WITHIN THE FAMILY AND THE CHILDREN MISTREATMENT (MOSSAVI)

The Mossavi model includes both the factors that seem to foment families resolving their problem violently, or adults mistreating children, along with those factors that seem to prevent family violence and child abuse.

The first ones are denominated risk factors and the second ones are called protective factors.

The model is based under the following statement:
While there are many risk factors and protective factors are weak, there are more chances for a family, a minor or a community to face violent situations and child abuse. Contrary, there more protective factors there are and less risk factors or the possibility of the last ones being diminished by protective factors the probabilities of suffering or having a violent consequence are less probable.

The intra family violence situation or child mistreatment is better comprehended when both risk and preventive factors are considered.

It is considered a critical situation when risk factors overcome or can not be reduced by protective factors and non critical when risk factors are fewer or can be reduced by protective factors.

Besides providing a conceptual comprehension, this framework is useful as a way perform do the intervention and prevention planning of violent situations.

When the risk and protection factors have been identified, the work can be initialited to reduce the risks and strengthen the protection factors. This can be done for an individual, a family or the whole community.

The risk factors have grouped in three categories, stress, normalization and violence. Protector factors have also been grouped in:
enrollment, competences, and resources. They are described below.

The stress is defined as the tension amongst the necessities, interests, feelings and resources that need to be satisfied.

The stress by itself does not lead to the violence and we always need certain grade of stress as a motivation for the action but when this overcomes the limits to be handled and it is accompanied by other risk factors, will surely increase the possibilities to be involved in violent actions. Abused children and violent families are often under high levels of stress. The five types of stress proposed by Rhodes and Johnson are described below will help us to comprehend how much stress families and this experience.

1.The main life events

These facts a deeply affect families and young people, because they constitute the disintegration of their effectiveness. These unexpected events may happen at any time without minors or adults having control over them. Among them we can include the death of any of the parents or beloved relatives, abandonment, accidents, natural disasters, violent displacements, persecution, war situations, physical and/or sexual assault, suicide attempts, the lost of the family´s patrimony or basic income sources, another childs birth or home abandonment.

The lost of self control feeling of being ignored and frustration, feeling guilty and the search of a reason (why me, why now) favor the confrontation among the family members causing violent situations, especially with the weaker members of the family.

2. Secuences of suffered lives

Underprivileged children and family´s lives are full of problems difficult to resolve coming from their social and cultural and financial situation which go usually back a long way. Along with poverty, social marginalisation, poor housing conditions, lack of access to basic services, illiteracy, school drop out, ethnic segregation, lack of opportunities, among others. Bring confrontation, frustration and hopeless feelings making these population vulnerable to violence situations.

3. Daily Problems

The daily pressure to get the sustenance, along with the overload of roles and responsibilities for some family members who have to face multiple and immediate problems with other relatives, neighbors, bosses, or authorities, quickly wear away their resistance and tolerance generating exhaustion in their relationships. The desire to find a quick answer leads to confrontation, abuse, and abandonment.

4. Life Transitions

Transitions such as changing neighborhoods, moving to another city, changing jobs, finding a new partner, or having a new baby are stressful situations because they demand extra effort to change habits or adjust to new circumstances. Along with the adjustment process, confrontation with others could be frequent and if there are not sufficient and appropriate means to solve conflict peacefully, the result is an environment of violence.

5. Teenage Growth Changes

Puberty brings about a great deal of changes for the teenager. Situations such as body changes, beginning the sexual activity, having to work or being responsible for others when there are little or no emotional or cognative resources, generates conflict with family, friends, or other subjects distant from the family group.

It is more likely that family or youngsters are subject to violent behaviours when the use of violence becomes a regular or normal practice in a certain environment. Some cultures and groups recognize violence as socialization means for children, subjection for women or demonstration of control and authority for the most powerful ones.
When the use of violence is accepted and legitimised by a certain group, is not questioned or seen as such, violence becomes "normalized".

Many factors promote accepting violence in a group or in the whole community:

1.Fulfilling the Law

Violence easily acquires a legal estate within a society when a lax legislation does not include some abuse or mistreatment actions as criminal offenses. In this case, it is more likely that an aggressive behaviour would be accepted or normalised in the society.

Likewise, if the justice structures are weak, impunity is common and authorities do not allocate efforts to rule against mistreatment. Violent responses are them accepted or normalised.

When control institutions tolerate violence it becomes acceptable for many individuals and it is not seen as a problem. On the contrary, the weakness of legal justice leads to the practice of applying justice by one's own hand.

2. Violent Constriction Means Availability

The more frequent violence becomes as means to solve conflict, the faster it becomes normalized. The use of maltreatment as pedagogic resource at schools, or violence against women at home are considered normal in many cultures. In the same way, freedom to produce, distribute, and possess guns cause many people to think that their use is valid to defend themselves from insecurity, especially when authorities are unable to control it.

Many children are trained in the use of weapons since early childhood and in areas of high social conflict, the knowledge about weapons is one of the necessary skills for daily survival.

3. Cost of Violence

When violence becomes more common and instead of punishment its use results in benefit, the probability that it becomes formalized increases.

On the contrary, if not using violence is perceived as weakness or lack of courage and those who are violent gain respect and fear within their peer group, violent responses are valued as privileged social interaction.

4. Publicity, Sponsorship, Promotion

The more valued and published violence becomes in a society, the more it tends to be considered not only necessary but desirable to solve conflict. Thus, people learn to tolerate aggression to such an extent that they become insensitive facing violent events.

Many advertising strategies include aggressive images and extreme risk situations to create impact thus role, models and heroes desensitizing the public usually achieve success because they defeat their opponents. Individuals, specially children internalize those models as their inspiration and guide.

5. Media Showing Violent Situations

Frequent and positive presentations of violence in television, cinema, journals, and newspapers promote the normalization of violence. Violence is regularly used to show action, emotion, danger, sex, entertainment and even humor. When family and specially children are frequently exposed to such images with no guidance, criteria, or other information, may without question would they end up learning a violent behavioural model.

For those families that live with great deal of tension, conflict, and aggression, the media productions allow them to think that their situation is "normal". Radio and newspapers play a very important role when giving wide displays of violent events and it becomes is more relevant because the information is not fiction but real life.

6. Cultural Role

The use of violence takes place in every culture but the definition of justified and non justified violence varies from one to another.

There is always a certain degree of normalized violence. Periods of fast cultural transitions change the definition, application and traditionally accepted limits of justified violence. When legislation tries to impose limits to new violence, many people consider that it maintains a considerable social value. In this case, the major role is played by those role models who determine the limits of violence. When those models are extremely flexible or do not have limits in mind, the idea of "help your self as you can" becomes the rule and violence is normalized.

If violent behaviour produces a positive experience or brings them about benefit for those who use it, violence is to violence likely to be frequently used. Likewise, those who are repeatedly subjected to violence loose little by little their capability to react or to ando do not defend themselves and become even more vulnerable.

Effects of violent aggression depend in each case on the aggressor (position and condition), the kind of aggression (intensity, harm degree, frequency), the subject of the aggression (position and condition), and the circumstances (atmosphere, environment, emotional situation, expectations). The frequent effect is low self-esteem, guilt, depression, isolation, fear, and physical harm in various levels.

Links are personal connections with people, objects, animals, and institutions. For instance, friends, work or study partners, relatives, neighbors, authorities, professionals of service institutions, teachers, priests, etc.may act as protection links.

It is likely that families do not tend to abuse their relatives or that children are not abused when strong positive links exist among them and with people or institutions which avoid violent practices. They have a more positive perception of life and altruistic values that offer protection and emotional support together with strong vigilance and control over all the group members.

But there are also negative links. These are connections with people, groups or institutions associated with abuse, violence, weapons, illegal activities, criminal offences and law braking. Negative links become risk factors.

Abilities are physical, intellectual, social, and emotional skills that allow people to recognize risk and avoid it. They can handle conflict in a practical way, or face violent reactions minimizing the destructive effects.

The following are some skills that allow an individual to avoid a negative respose in situations of great tension or conflict:

• Self confidence
• High self-esteem
• Problem solving skills
• Able to find alternative behaviour
• Self control
• Negotiation skills
• Dialogue and communication
• Positive perception of life
• Self respect and respect for others

During childhood and adolescence people acquire skills and strategies to face situations of conflict. These skills allow people to attain healthy and happy lives. The more skills people have, the less chance there is to develop violent behaviour in adulthood.
But if that is not the case, even in adulthood an individual can modify the behavioural codes acquired in childhood and fortify the capabilities to react passivelly toward conflict.

Resources are everything we use to satisfy our needs. These resources are found within the person and in the environment.

The internal resources that protect include first intelligence, religious beliets, optimism, adaptability, positive models, etc. External resources include information, family, affective relationships, strong role models, access to education, health, recreation, community organizations and others.

When there is lack of resources, there is also a lack of alternatives to solve conflict in a non violent way.
The ability to react in a non violent way, or to defend oneself in case of aggression is developed in a better way when there are strong positive links, access to resources, opportunities and no serious causes of stress.