By Immy Burgess
“Why do we know that one in three women experience violence, but we don’t know how many men perpetrate violence?” asks award-winning poet Kim Moore, framing the urgent need for societal introspection ahead of her discussion with Professor Khatidja Chantler as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
The event will take place at the Manchester Poetry Library on December 4 and highlight Chantler’s groundbreaking HALT (Homicide Abuse Learning Together) study, which analyses domestic homicide reviews to uncover systemic failings and identify patterns in abuse that escalate to lethal violence.
Chantler’s research, supported by colleagues at Manchester Met delves into these reviews – mandated after a partner or family member is killed – to learn from survivors and the loved ones of those lost.
Moore, who collaborated with Chantler on the project, transformed these findings into powerful poetry. “Any sentence that began with ‘I,’ they took them out and gave them to me. I turned those statements into poems, creating an anthology,” Moore explains.
The result is a very raw, fragmented narrative that captures the core of survivors’ and victims’ experiences. “They’re really moving,” says Moore. What also struck Moore is the pattern that emerges: “Even though they are from 20 or 30 different people, it’s as if the perpetrators went to the same school to learn how to become perpetrators, they exhibit the same behaviour.”
Moore hopes that reviews like these will open up conversations about how to prohibit more domestic homicides from taking place. Chantler’s work has already influenced policy, underscoring the importance of these reviews in preventing future tragedies. “She has presented her findings before, and they’ve led to policy changes.”
Join poet Dr Kim Moore and Prof Khatidja Chantler on Wednesday 4th November at 2pm. Book your tickets here.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Festival runs from 25th November to 10th December, 2024. For more information and tickets, visit mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events.
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