June: An International Call To Men To End Violence Against Women

Boys and men are constantly being told to man up. “Manning Up” is a crisis in masculinity that causes violence against women and girls.

A call to men end violence against women based in New York City will have it’s fourth annual event where fathers and men are called to men to take a pledge to end violence against women in their homes and communities. Quentin Walcott who is the Co-Executive Director of Connect, based in New York City, started the initiative in 2010. Quentin is an anti-violence activist and educator; he has spent the last 18 years addressing men’s roles in stopping the violence. He has developed and introduced programs designed to transform men and boys into allies and activists against violence.

Quentin says: “When we talk about masculinity in its relationship to domestic violence, we’re asking a series of crucial questions: where are the places masculinity shows up? Where do we get our notions of masculinity, and which parts do we reject and why? What’s the impact?  What’s the cost and who’s impacted? When we do a bit of soul searching, typically women, girls, and men who don’t conform to the hyper masculine forms on the range of masculinities, pay the price because of unhealthy demonstrations of masculinity.”

For more information on what you can do to help end violence against women this June, show your commitment and support by donating to the cause by purchasing a black, white and red ribbon online. Proceeds are used for our intervention and prevention services and programming that serve 10 000 women annually. We also welcome clothing donations to our thrift store My Sister’s Closet.