LAB-CO promotes the implementation, monitoring, and generation of evidence for the CORE Model, a therapeutic intervention targeting men who have committed gender-based violence in intimate partner contexts. Its objective is to reduce aggressive behavior and prevent future violent behaviors among participants. The initiative is carried out as part of the project “Knowledge for Action to End Violence Against Women and Violence Against Children,” funded by the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (www.svri.org), a global research network, in partnership with Prosociedad, a nonprofit association based in Guadalajara specializing in the design and implementation of violence prevention models (www.prosociedad.org).
The project aims to develop an evidence-based, scalable, and replicable model applicable to various contexts across Mexico and Latin America. This initiative seeks to enable male participants to identify their aggressive behaviors and acquire skills to resolve conflicts non-violently, fostering a safer environment for women.
Addressing Men Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence: An Opportunity to Prevent Violence Against Women
Violence against women is one of the most pressing security issues in Mexico and Latin America. Between 2022 and 2023, over 566,000 cases of domestic violence and 1,793 femicides¹ were reported in Mexico, despite the Federal Government allocating more than a hundred million US dollars to address violence against women² during the same period. While significant progress has been made in supporting victims of gender-based violence, programs targeting men who perpetrate such violence against their partners remain limited. Moreover, many of these programs lack evidence supporting their medium- and long-term effectiveness.
The CORE Model emerges as an innovative and cost-efficient solution to this challenge. It offers institutions addressing gender-based violence an effective short-term response while equipping male participants with tools to transform their behavioral patterns and foster healthier, more equitable relationships.
The CORE Model
The CORE Model consists of 18 weekly group therapy sessions, each lasting two hours. Groups include up to 12 participants, guided through the process by a therapist and a mentor. These professionals, with specific training in psychology, are experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as trained in the application of the CORE Model.
In addition to therapy sessions, mentorship focuses on helping participants develop a life plan. This plan includes activities such as professional training, employability improvement, and academic advancement, among others.
Foundations of the CORE Model
The CORE Model is grounded in psychology, specifically the Cognitive-Behavioral-Contextual approach, which acknowledges the influence of individual experiences and social contexts in generating abusive behaviors. It provides specific tools for modifying these behavioral patterns.
Within the Cognitive-Behavioral framework, CORE draws from the experiences of the ACTV model (Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior). This model emphasizes reducing violent behaviors by increasing tolerance to negative experiences and promoting awareness that such experiences should not dictate subsequent actions. Recent studies suggest that interventions based on the ACTV model may be more effective in reducing abusive behaviors than those inspired by the Duluth model.
The Duluth model, widely used for addressing male perpetrators of violence, focuses on analyzing and dismantling power and control dynamics that underpin abusive behaviors, emphasizing equality and accountability. In contrast, the ACTV model incorporates evidence-based intervention strategies that address both the context and the individual values of participants, enhancing its potential effectiveness.
Overall, while the ACTV approach is relatively new, it has already been implemented with men convicted of domestic violence in the United States, demonstrating greater effectiveness and significant results in reducing recidivism compared to traditional interventions based on the Duluth model.
Implementation of the CORE Model and Generation of Evidence
As part of this project, the CORE Model will be implemented in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, from August 2024 to December 2025. Eight intervention groups will be formed, involving a total of 96 men responsible for gender-based violence crimes in intimate partner contexts. These participants will be referred directly by justice and law enforcement institutions.
LAB-CO and Prosociedad have established collaboration with the State Unit for Precautionary Measures and Conditional Process Suspension (UEMECAS) under the Jalisco State Security Secretariat. This unit refers men who meet the required profile to participate in the model upon request by a judge. In this context, the CORE Model offers a significant and effective response to the growing demand for addressing men prosecuted for such behaviors in the criminal justice system.
Alongside its implementation, led by Prosociedad, LAB-CO is developing a rigorous monitoring and evaluation system. This system aims to track and analyze behavioral changes in participants and identify areas for improvement in the design of the CORE Model, ultimately generating relevant evidence within the Mexican context.
Through this experience of institutional collaboration, implementation, and evidence generation, the CORE Model will establish a solid, systematized foundation of implementation manuals and protocols, measurement tools for monitoring data, and resources to enable scaling and replication in other Mexican states or, with some adaptations, in other Latin American countries.
Potential for Scaling and Adaptation of the CORE Model
Mexico and Latin America face an increasing need for innovative solutions to address gender-based violence. While the CORE Model is currently being implemented in Guadalajara, its adaptation and replication in other contexts represents a promising alternative. The model offers a standardized evidence-based implementation methodology and measurement tools that can be tailored to the characteristics of each local reality.
Additionally, implementing the CORE Model in other countries could significantly contribute to building evidence of its effectiveness. This would allow for data and information sharing, collaboratively identifying behavioral patterns and changes in men who perpetrated gender-based violence in intimate partner contexts. In this way, the CORE Model would contribute to regional efforts to eradicate gender-based violence.
¹Gobierno de México. (2022). “Subraya Conavim que aumento de presupuesto para igualdad de género, garantiza atención a causas de la violencia”. Available at: https://www.gob.mx/conavim/prensa/subraya-conavim-que-aumento-de-presupuesto-para-igualdad-de-genero-garantiza-atencion-a-causas-de-la-violencia-292099?idiom=es
²Gobierno de México. (2022). “Subraya Conavim que aumento de presupuesto para igualdad de género, garantiza atención a causas de la violencia”. Available at: https://www.gob.mx/conavim/prensa/subraya-conavim-que-aumento-de-presupuesto-para-igualdad-de-genero-garantiza-atencion-a-causas-de-la-violencia-292099?idiom=es
References:
Publication of the CORE Model principles: https://www.lab-co.org/publicaciones/
Launch of the first publication of the CORE Model: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/mn7oXC7D2PBAJuMi/?mibextid=oFDknk
Launch of the CORE Model with SVRI funding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sw_0p_gseM