Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sexual Violence: Whose Problem Is It Anyway?

Top Ten Reasons from the Family Violence Prevention Fund

Most men do not agree with men's violence, yet do nothing to challenge or stop it - these men need to be mobilized to prevent violence.

Some men are already working to prevent violence but lack support; many more would like to get involved but don't know how.

Many women want men to step up and take a stand against violence.

Men commit most of the violence - it is up to them to stop it

Men are not born violent-they become violent as a result of beliefs and norms about what it means to be a man. Work with men and boys can change these beliefs and norms and support men in rejecting violence

Men have the potential to stop violence. Not only can they choose to not perpetrate acts of violence, they can choose to challenge the attitudes and assumptions that support gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence continues despite years of anti-violence work. The missing piece is effective violence prevention work with men.

Men experience violence too-many are survivors but few get the support they need to heal from their experience.

Men and boys listen to their peers-we need to mobilize men and boys to spread the violence prevention message in their families, workplaces, and communities.

Decision makers and opinion leaders are mostly men-we need to work with them to get the political, financial, and moral support necessary to prevent gender-based violence.

(From Men as Peacemakers)

1 comment:

Care said...

Women have been subjected to violence throughout history, and although this horrendous action is condemned by all societies, it is still prevalent in many, especially the third world countries. In a survey carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005, out of the ten counties surveyed, more than 50 percent of women in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru and Tanzania reported having been subjected to physical or sexual violence by intimate partners, with figures reaching a staggering 71 percent in rural Ethiopia. Only in Japan, less than 20 percent of women report incidents of domestic violence.

What is Men Standing Up?

Moving to End Sexual Assault's Men's Prevention Education program in Boulder, Colorado is dedicated to raising awareness about rape prevention. Studies show that that men and boys hear a message about ending sexual violence better from other males, making men’s involvement crucial in creating lasting social change.