Ten Things Men Can Do To Prevent Violence Against Women
1. It’s A Men’s Issue – Think of violence against women as a MEN’S issue involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers
2. Don’t Remain Silent – if a brother, friend, classmate, co-worker is abusive to a woman or is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general — don’t look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don’t know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor.
3. Have Courage – to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don’t be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.
4. Offer Support – If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted.
5. Stop & Get Help Now – If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, stop and seek professional help NOW.
6. Support Battered Women’s Support Services – Join us in our work to end all forms of all forms of violence against women. Attend our events, rallies and other public events. Raise money for us so that we can continue our prevention and intervention work. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.
7. Say No to Homophobia and Gay-Bashing – Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (eg. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do so).
8. Educate Yourself – Attend programs, take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of violence against women. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.
9. Stop Buying Sexism and Misogyny – Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.
10. Take Leadership – Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don’t involve degrading or abusing girls and women. Volunteer to work with violence against women prevention programs, including anti-sexist men’s programs. Lead by example
Adapted from the work Jackson Katz. www.jacksonkatz.com
