10 Things You Can Do to Stop Violence Against Women

1. Approach gender violence as a MEN’S issue involving men of all ages, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.
2. If a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is abusing his female partner – 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 counsellor. DON’T REMAIN SILENT.
3. Have the 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 towards changing them.
4. If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.
5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.
6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-based women’s centres. Attend “Take Back the Night” rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centres and battered women’s shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organise a fundraiser.
7. Recognise and speak out against 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 (e.g. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, as a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them and a key reason few men do so.)
8. Attend programmes, take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.
9. Don’t fund sexism. 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. 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 gender violence prevention programmes, including anti-sexist men’s programmes. Lead by example.

Our thanks to Jackson Katz (http://www.jacksonkatz.com) who has compiled and generously shared this list with the Violence Against Women community.

New program targets men committing home violence

This sounds like a wonderful program and I wish you the greatest of success!  Not all men that commit Domestic Violence are monsters, many need help and guidance so that they can stop their abusive behavior, but the most important aspect of all of this should always be the safety of the victim while the abuser is receiving help.  I pray that the victims of these abusers who are receiving help are also receiving resources, help and counseling as well.  One problem I’ve always had with sending men to anger management classes after a Domestic Violence situation is that the victim is left at home for the abuser to come back to after all his buttons have been pushed to the limit during class.  It is wonderful to help the abuser obtain an abuse free life, but the main objective should always be to ensure that the victims have support and remain safe throughout.

Lisa Cox

February 28, 2012

A new program at the Canberra Men's Centre will work with the perpetrators of domestic violence in the hope of reducing violence against women and children in the ACT.

Minister for Community Services Joy Burch announced yesterday that the government will spend $424,000 over four years on the family violence prevention program, which began at the centre a week ago.

The scheme will include case management, counselling, anger management and accommodation for men who have committed acts of domestic violence.

Canberra Mens's Centre counselling manager Alistair Jones said a case manager, counsellors and other support professionals would work one-on-one with the men to address behaviours that can lead to violence in the home.

''They'll be looking at all elements in their life and those elements that need to change and those responsibilities that need to be faced up to,'' Mr Jones said. ''We'll be working with the men to change behaviours to get a better outcome for the women children and the men themselves.''

Mr Jones said the service would be available to up to seven participants at any one time and the men could be referred by solicitors, community agencies or the Domestic Violence Crisis Service.

Domestic Violence Crisis Service manager Dennise Simpson backed the approach of providing intensive case management and supported accommodation for men who use violence.

''This is a model of intervention that offers an element of safety for the families while the man is located elsewhere and addressing his use of violence and abusive behaviours,'' Ms Simpson said.

The program will be part the ACT Strategy to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children which is currently being developed and will be launched by the ACT Government later this year.

Original Article