Literature Review

According to Calton et al. (2016), domestic violence among the LGBT creates a lot of challenges to victims in reporting the violence of seeking help. Violent partners threaten their victims with more violence in case of reporting the incident. Despite the growing acceptability of LGBT in then society, group members fear reporting or divulging domestic violence information. The security authorities are also not used to handling violence in LGBT groups, which hinders their reporting (Calton et al., 2016). Lack of proper support in the security system and the community leaves them with much fear of reporting, especially when they know that such an action will expose them to much ridicule. However, the study does not indicate how barriers to reporting affect the health of victims and their relationship with healthcare service providers. The quality of healthcare a person receives from healthcare facilities is influenced by a proper diagnosis of the problem and its source. In the LGBT community, a person is likely to hide sources of injuries or stress if he or she knows that it will negatively expose the partner. The LGBT also prefer secrecy, in which case the publicity of their relationships would attract public or family disapproval and discrimination (Calton et al., 2016). In such cases, a person would be reluctant to reveal if his or her injuries and general suffering were inflicted by a partner out of fear that such a move would result in exposing his or her true sexual orientation.

Strickler and Drew (2015) establishes that lack of attention to Violence in LGBT has contributed to too many cases going unreported or punished, which has served as a catalyst to the problem. Reporting and punishing domestic violence are handy in managing the vice and helping the victims access quality health service. The mainstream society is largely blind to violence in the LGBT community; instead, much attention is put on women battering and general violence in what is considered straight relationships (Strickler & Drew, 2015). However, this study does not appreciate that existing institutions were meant to serve the conventional community. The LGBT is a new arrival, which explains why there is a struggle to ensure that the community’s members can access medication, justice, and other services without prejudice to their sexual orientation. The rate of domestic violence in the LGBT community is the same as in heterosexual relations, which make (Subirana-Malaret et al., 2019). The intensity at which the problem is managed in different-sex marriages and relationships should be applied to the LGTB community. The differences in the two denote overlooking the problem in one group, in this case, the LGBT. Low reporting rates imply that many victims of domestic violence are suffering in silence. These are the people who need to need help to come out of bondage.

In his study dubbed “The Impact of Heteronormativity: Barriers in Seeking Domestic Violence Services for LGBTQ+ Survivors," Gingras (2018) establishes that issues to do with shelter for survivors affect their willingness to report the violence. Housing programs that support victims of domestic violence sometimes violate the privacy of individuals, especially because of their sexuality. The study also revealed that when domestic violence victims report the incidents of abuse, the authorities are less likely to take them seriously compared to victims of domestic violence in heterosexual relations. The systemic discrimination discourages the victims from reporting their cases of abuse. The discrimination by the authorities arises from a lack of awareness or pure prejudice against the LGBT. Organizations involved in fighting domestic violence have little or no knowledge about issues pertaining to the LGBT community, which makes them unfavorable to the victims of domestic violence within the community. Nevertheless, the study does not reveal a few that are equipped with the knowledge and experience on LGBT interests and needs to attract more victims to report abuse and violence incidents.

Best Practices

To address the problem of domestic violence among the LGBT community, the following measures can be taken:

Therapeutic Counselling

Domestic violence victims suffer mental health challenges such as trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression that can destroy their health and even result in death. Therapeutic counseling is offered across the world to help the survivors manage the aftermaths of the violence and abuse (Strickler & Drew, 2015). Victims of Domestic violence in the LGBT community equally need this service to help them overcomes the impact of the violence meted on them and recover. This is a critical step in supporting the victim and crucial to preventing the risk of the survivor falling for the same abuser again. The counseling process helps to stabilize the victim's mental health to encourage healthy thinking necessary for normal living. Victims may harm themselves, stick in abusive relationships, or plan to harm the perpetrator if they do not receive quality counseling.

Use of Non-Judgemental Language

When dealing with LGTB victims of domestic violence, the health service provider should be sensitive enough to avoid being judgmental about the sexuality of the patient or exposure to the violence. The service provider should remain as neutral as possible and focus on giving the patient the best medical services and any other necessary assistance without making the victims feel discriminated against or guilty for what happened to him or her. Most LGBT community members tend to be reserved and secretive when they realize that society judges them as outcasts or abnormal because of their sexual orientation. The use of gendered language without prior consent from the patient or domestic violence victim should be avoided. Ungendered language or seeking a person's approval if he or she wants to be addressed can help clear the wind. Gendering language affects the LGBT community members’ perception towards health service providers and the general society.

Counseling services for the LGTB members who have survived domestic violence should be tailored to meet their sexual orientation and security needs. Counselors should be sensitive to any language or behavior that reinforces the victim's discrimination and stigmatization on whatsoever ground (Russell, 2020). Barriers to reporting domestic violence within the LGBT community are partly reinforced by prejudice towards the group members. Societies with low regard for the LGBT have the lowest reporting of domestic violence within the community because most of the victims fear the stigmatization of doing so, hence choosing to hide their security issues for their own safety.

Creating a safe network for reporting and supporting victims of domestic violence

The fear of reporting domestic violence within the LGBT community can be addressed by establishing a safe and trusted reporting system. According to Strickler and Drew (2015), victims of domestic violence in the LGBT community show reluctance in reporting because they do not trust the security system and suffer social marginalization. The system should be responsive to their needs, such as freedom from discrimination and misunderstanding of their sexuality or gender. The system would also offer support services such as counseling, treatment, and legal help. The growing number of LGBT in the community and violence within members can be best addressed by establishing an office or organization that deals with issues of domestic violence and abuse within the community. The move would give members confidence in the entity with a view that it is tailored to meet their special needs. The reporting systems can include physical offices and telephone lines that victims can access to get support on how to deal with domestic violence issues. A safe system should be manned by persons who understand

LGBT life well and the accompanying challenges (Russell, 2020). In the long run, this should help domestic violence victims easily report abuse and find help thereafter. Create awareness about domestic violence in LGBT

The awareness campaign is necessary to fight the social vice by discouraging domestic violence and encouraging victims to seek assistance. Sensitization campaign would also involve promoting general awareness about the existence of the LGBT community and its right to fair treatment from mainstream society. The LGBT members would be at ease to report any issue of domestic violence to law enforcement authorities and other relevant bodies if society stops discrimination against them and embrace equality among people regardless of their sexual orientation (Strickler & Drew, 2015). The awareness campaign is integral in getting the victims of domestic violence to report incidences of abuse. Sensitizing the population would include informing them about their rights and freedoms, what domestic violence is, where they can report or get help in case of being subjected to domestic violence, and the importance of seeking help (Strickler & Drew, 2015). Proper sensitization is handy in increasing reporting rates and also lowering down the negative effects of domestic violence in the LGBT community.

Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV) would be needed to help in implementing the intervention. The organization has an established network and resources needed to implement a program to combat domestic violence. Most importantly, it offers emergency safe houses, legal advocacy, supportive housing programs, outreach & prevention programs, and 24-hour crisis lines, all of which fall under the intervention.

Needs Assessment

The needs of LGBT group members that should be captured in the program can be well managed after identifying the targeted stakeholders.

Stakeholders

The major targeted stakeholders for this program will be the following category of people who are dating or married:

Lesbians

Lesbian include females dating each other or married for the sake of meeting their sexual needs and desires. Lesbians represent a significant percentage of the LGBT community, making them an important stakeholder in the program (Russell, 2020). Just like other members of society, lesbians need protection from domestic violence. Their partners can turn violent and abusive, a problem that should be addressed without bringing into the picture the sexuality card.

Gay

Gays are males married to one another or dating with a view of satisfying their collective sexual needs and urges. Gays are part of key stakeholders in the program because they form a relatively big percentage of the LGBT community, underscoring their value in managing domestic violence within the community (Russell, 2020).

Bisexual

This category includes people who are in sexual relations with men and females at the same time. An interview with bisexuals will help bring out unique challenges members of the group face in reporting and managing domestic violence. A man can be married to a woman but still engage in a gay lifestyle, or a woman be married to a man and still engages in a lesbian lifestyle (Russell, 2020). The program will target this group to understand and address the issue of domestic violence involving bisexuals. Bisexuals have special challenges because they draw satisfaction in two types of sexual relations, making it hard for a person who is abused by his or her same-sex partner to report the matter out of fear that the straight partner will be shocked perhaps leave him or her. For members of this group, they lead a double life, which makes domestic violence too complex to handle.

Transgender

Transgender are persons whose assigned identity defers with what they think is their right gender. According to Russell (2020), such people may express themselves as female when the assigned gender requires them to behave as male. Under this category are people such as hermaphrodites and those who undergo gender transformation. An interview with members of this group will help determine the challenges members face with regard to managing domestic violence.

Counselors

Counselors, especially those involved in counseling victims of domestic violence, are part of this program because they play a role in combating the vice and helping the victims heal.

The interview with the group is likely to help in fine-tuning the program and determining if it is well structured to meet the needs of the LGBT community.

Anti-Domestic Violence Activists And Organizations

The interview with anti-domestic violence activists and organizations will be conducted to capture real-life experiences with regard to challenges they face in combating domestic violence in the LGBT community.

Interview Questionnaire

To effectively assess the needs, the following questionnaire will be used: Your participation in this survey will help in improving the lives of the LGBT. Consent.

Participation in this survey is voluntary; feel free to accept or decline participation. The information gathered in this exercise will be kept confidential and will only be used for the best interest of the LGBT community. The survey is on the problem of domestic violence in the LGBT community. Would you wish to participate in the survey?

Yes…………. No. ………………….

Name:

Gender: Contact: Email Address:

1. Do you understand what domestic violence is?

Yes No

2. Have you ever heard of domestic violence in the LGBT community?

3. Have you ever been a victim of domestic violence?

Yes No.

If yes, did you report?

Yes No

4. What are some of the challenges that you feel a victim of domestic violence among the LGBT community face in reporting the violence? List them down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ a) Strongly Agree b) Agree c) Disagree d) Strongly Disagree a) Strongly Agree b) Agree c) Disagree d) Strongly Disagree

5. Do you think sensitizing the public about domestic violence within the LGBT community can help address the problem?

6. Do you think the existing anti-domestic violence organizations are effective in addressing domestic violence in the LGBT community?

7. Are existing anti-domestic violence organizations discriminative of the LGBT community?

8. What are some of the interventional measures that you think can help manage domestic violence in the LGBT community?

9. Do you agree that you can report a case of domestic violence if you felt that you would not get help?

10. Would you agree to report a case of domestic violence if you felt that action would be taken?

Program Evaluation

The intervention program focuses on addressing domestic violence in the LGBT community by creating awareness about the problem, enhancing reporting, access to legal assistance, preventing and offering safe housing to victims. To evaluate the program, a focus shall be on the program's key aspects, which will be assessed to determine their effectiveness in advancing the set goals of addressing domestic violence in the LGBT community. Most importantly, the entire program is anchored on Partnership Against Domestic Violence (ATL, GA) and All-1-Family (ATL, GA), in reference to the LGBT community. The project will entail working with Partnership against Domestic Violence (ATL, GA) and All-1-Family (ATL, GA) to fight domestic violence in the LGBT community.

Awareness

The society's awareness about domestic violence in the LGBT community will be evaluated based on increased reporting, declining discrimination of LGBT members who report and seek assistance after domestic abuse, and the society's responsiveness to the problem. The awareness campaign can also be assessed in terms of increased access to justice.

Legal Advocacy

This will include enhancing the victims’ access to legal support as part of promoting access to justice. The legal services will include advice, legal representation in court, filing separation and divorce, and drafting temporary protection orders. The victims need the protection of the law to keep their hopes alive. The availability and access to legal services will be assessed as of trying to determine the effectiveness of the anti-domestic violence among the LGBT program. The victims ought to get legal help where the need arises, which can be measured by an increase in prosecution of cases of domestic violence among the LGTB community members. As a consequence, the program will evaluate victims’ access to legal help to determine if there is an improvement after the intervention.

Prevention Programs

The program will include preventive measures that will include educating LGBT members about the dangers of engaging in domestic violence. Potential perpetrators will be persuaded to avoid the vice or be deterred by the threat of severe repercussions for committing domestic violence. Preventive programs will be assessed in terms of reduced cases of domestic violence within the LGBT community. Awareness programs will also include warning signs of potential domestic abuse that LGTB members should avoid ending the problem within the community.

Supportive Housing

Some of the domestic violence victims need temporary housing before they find a place to live for themselves. Dependence on the perpetrator of violence keeps some victims in abusive relationships out of fear that they will have no place to go if they chose to leave or report the crime and get kicked out by the partner. Supportive housing is handy in taking care of such cases and reducing vulnerability to further abuse. The evaluation program will assess the establishment, sufficiency, and efficiency of supportive housing.

Data to be collected will be on the following areas: a) Effectiveness of supportive housing to victims of domestic violence in LGBT community. b) The coverage and effectiveness of prevention programs in the LGBT community. c) The victims access to legal assistance. d) The level of awareness about domestic violence in the LGBT community.

When to collect data

I will collect data three months after the program implementation. The choice of time to collect the said data is informed by the need to capture the program's success and failure with a view of improving on it. Six months are enough for a project to record some impact on the LGBT community.

How To Collect Data

I will collect data through observation, interview, and analysis, and use of questionnaires.

The Main Participant

The major participants in data collection will be members of the LGBT community, mainly the survivors of domestic violence, counselors dealing with cases of domestic violence, and security agents.

Sampling Method.

Random sampling methods will be applied to a group of targeted participants. The main reason for applying this method is to ensure that biases in data collection are averted. The methods give any potential participant an equal opportunity to participate in the exercise.

Analytical Method

I will apply the descriptive statistics method to evaluate the efficacy of my intervention program. The method is effective in drawing a conclusion using indexing aspects such as mean, median, standard deviation. In using this method, I will be able to determine the changes that have been recorded in terms of reporting domestic violence, seeking legal assistance, and improvement in the quality of treatment of victims of domestic violence in the LGBT community.