Men Stopping Violence - Community Restoration Program

Men Stopping Violence (MSV) initiated its innovative Community Restoration Program (CRP) in 1987 as a continuing education program for men who had already completed MSV's 24-week men's intervention program. CRP is a community education and advocacy team committed to ending violence against women. The group's original intent was to offer men who had finished the 24-week program an ongoing connection and support and opportunities to volunteer with MSV. Over the years, the role of CRP has expanded to include more direct community advocacy.

CRP men create personal, cultural and political change through a range of activities, including presenting to community groups, working with MSV programs, monitoring relevant state and federal legislation, meeting with lawmakers, and even testifying at legislative hearings during sessions of the Georgia General Assembly.

In 2005, CRP organized a statewide campaign to support reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). CRP members were the core of a Georgia group called Men Supporting VAWA, which lobbied for passage of the reauthorization bill by meeting with Georgia congressmen. The bill passed and was signed into law in early 2006.

In 2007, CRP members and other advocacy groups also talked with legislators and testified at hearings regarding legislation that called for a presumption of joint custody in child custody cases. MSV is opposed to presumptive joint custody, because many cases of contested divorce involve violence against women and children, and in those cases, joint custody gives perpetrators of violence access to victims. Since being introduced, the language of the legislation has been changed to address this problem.

Being able to take direct action has been energizing to men in CRP and reflects MSV's commitment to wide scale social change. Men in CRP have found that being involved in planning and carrying out initiatives around policy change and lawmaking also helps them to stay true to the original intent of the group when it formed in 1987.

To get involved in the CRP or for more information contact Sulaiman Nuriddin at 404.270.9894.

Programs

Community Restoration Program