By Gustavo Buenrostro
The types of relationships, cycles of violence and gender roles were all topics of discussion in Healthy relationships workshop on Thursday.
The workshop focused on different aspects of domestic violence. It was meant to teach students how to identify bad relationships and how to have good relationships.
Romantic relationships weren’t the only one’s covered. Friendships, work relationships and family dynamics were mentioned as well.
In the workshop, Vanessa Sanchez said bad relationships can lead to abuse and sexual assault. Most sexual assault cases happen by someone the victim knows according to knowyourix.org.
According to the presentation, there are three kinds of love found in relationships. Romantic love, nurturing love and addictive love. Romantic love is the honeymoon stage where everything seems great and only the best parts of the person are presented.
In nurturing relationships, they are supportive of each other.
Addictive love is when feelings are extreme and the relationship can get obsessive.
The workshop also spoke about why abuse happens.
There are many forms of abuse, according to the National Center of Domestic and Sexual Violence. There is physical abuse and emotional abuse. Whatever the abuser can use to control the other person, they will use.
Another example of abuse from the workshop focuses on people that are married and have children.
The abuser will use the children to control the other person and make them do what they want.
According to the workshop, healthy relationships are built on boundaries and knowing the other person’s boundaries and respecting them is important.
It is also about active, ongoing and coherent consent. Before making any physical contact with the other person, it is always better to ask if it’s okay.
There was a pamphlet that was given to all who attended about the signs of a healthy relationship.
According to the pamphlet a healthy relationship is one in which a person can be themselves, can hear what their partner wants to say, agree to disagree and respect the partner’s boundary.
In the workshop, it also discussed about gender roles and how media usage of gender roles is a form of abuse.
After the room discusses what types of gender roles do men and women have.
Hilda Franco, Boyle Heights project coordinator for East Los Angeles women’s center, talked about the importance of going to workshops on domestic violence.
“It’s kind of corny, but knowledge is power. Having the knowledge will help you recognize trauma that you wouldn’t have otherwise acknowledge about yourself and break those cycles,” said Franco.
Franco hopes that what students take from these workshops is that they have the power to create healthy relationships in their lives.
That they can have consensual and trustworthy relationships.