2010 campaign urges: Men speak out on violence against women
Men are a critical part of the solution, campaign argues
Vancouver: As the world comes to Vancouver to participate in the 2010 Winter Games, violence against women is the most pressing social issue of our times.
The Violence Stops Here campaign is working over the Games to raise awareness on violence against women and children and, most important, to urge men to raise their voice to stop the violence.
“Just as sure as there will be skiers taking to the slopes at Whistler and hockey players slapping pucks in the arenas, there will be abused women among the athletes, organizers, spectators, media, and dignitaries who are gathering in Vancouver for the Olympics” said Angela Marie MacDougall Executive Director of Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS).
“Today, men are the primary perpetrators of violence against women, yet the majority of men are silent when it comes to speaking out about this violence. This code of silence is the one of the major reasons why violence against women continues.”
MacDougall notes violence against women is expected to increase by up to 36% in Vancouver and the sea-to-sky corridor during the Olympics. In 2000, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, reported at least one in three women and girls in the world is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. In British Columbia, one in three women has experienced violence.
“The Violence Stops Here campaign is designed to highlight the key role men have in being part of the solution to end violence against women,” says Jaclyn Sauer BWSS Crisis Line coordinator.
“Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson encourages us to ‘show the world that Vancouver knows how to have a good time.’ We say: there is no better time than during the Games for men to become a part of the solution to end of violence against women. “
According to the Campaign, all levels of government have been largely silent on the issue of violence against women during the Games. There have been little to no funds made available for the safety and security of women despite the almost one billion dollars allocated for Games safety and security.
Battered Women’s Support Services has partnered with Safe Games 2010 to distribute information cards to begin the conversation of how men can join the discussion of ending violence against women.
If you are interested in getting involved, you can visit our website www.theviolencestopshere.ca and take a pledge to end violence against women.
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Contact:
Angela Marie MacDougall 604-687-1613
Background
The Violence Stops Here Campaign takes the anti violence message forward into the 21st Century recognizing that violence against women isn’t only a woman’s issue but is clearly an issue for men.
Statistics on violence against women:
In 2000, according to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, globally at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime.
In Canada, almost 75 women are murdered by their partner each year (Stats Canada, 2006). These tragic deaths are considered only the tip of the iceberg, for every woman who is murdered there are thousands who live each day in fear.
In Canada, it is underestimated that 522 Indigenous women are missing or who have been found murdered since 1969. Overall, racialized women and non-status women have been silenced about their experiences of violence.
In British Columbia, over 10,000 incidents of violence against women in intimate relationships were reported in 2009. Currently there are under 670 transition house beds provincially available to women and their children.
98% of sex offenders are men and 82% of the survivors of these assaults are girls and women. (Stats Canada, 1999).
Of men who use violence 75% of it is toward other men and 25% of it is toward women. (Tough Guise – Violence, Media, & the Crisis in Masculinity by Jackson Katz, 2002)
The Violence Stops Here. www.theviolencestopshere.ca
Troy Westwood – Little Hawk, Byron Hurt among the few to raise awareness to a male audience about violence against women http://abortmag.com/index.php?s=troy+westwood&sbutt.x=0&sbutt.y=0&sbutt=Go
Native Youth Sexual Health Network – “Protecting the Circle: Aboriginal Men Ending Violence Against Women” http://nativeyouthsexualhealth.com/AboriginalMenEndingViolenceAgainstWomen.pdf
