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Research shows that, unsurprisingly, men and boys are influenced by each other. But what we sometimes forget is that men are most influenced by what they assume other men think – and men tend to assume that other men think violence against women is okay, even though most men are actually opposed to it.[1] More and more men are speaking up and changing this misunderstanding; thus, engaging men and boys in prevention work is an important strategy to reduce domestic and sexual violence and stalking.
Mobilizing Men and Boys Roundtable. This roundtable, held August 2016, was convened to discuss barriers and gaps in current strategies to engage men and boys, explore strategies to increase national awareness of engaging men efforts, and examine ways that federal agencies can support local organizations to continue prevention and community organizing efforts. Participants were leaders and experts in mobilizing men and boys to prevent gender-based violence, including individuals whose work specifically focuses on programs for young people, communities of color, tribal communities, LGBT communities, fraternities and athletic groups.
Overall, the roundtable participants acknowledged that a key aspect of mobilizing males in preventing gender-based violence has been to shift the focus away from traditional cultural views about male aggression, toughness and social norms that sanction sexual violence, superiority and sexual entitlement. In its place, participants recommended an emphasis on healthy, nonviolent relationships based on respect and equity.
The roundtable participants made several recommendations:
Download a summary of the roundtable discussion, “Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going: Mobilizing Men and Boys to Prevent Gender-Based Violence,” from ChangingOurCampus.org.
Native Men’s Gathering. Also in August 2016, OVW held a gathering of American Indian and Alaska Native men at the Oneida Nation, Green Bay, Wisconsin, to ask men to share their perspectives and describe the work they are doing across the country to reduce violence against women.
This was the first gathering of its kind, and for most of the participants, it was the first time they had ever shared their experiences with like-minded men. OVW is especially committed to incorporating men’s involvement and addressing boys and men’s victimization in Indian country, where both men and women have extremely high victimization rates.
The men expressed their sense of isolation and the lack of support they have while working in this field, not only by families and tribal leadership, but also by systems – both tribal and non-tribal. Nearly every man who spoke said that to truly move forward, it is critical that similar convenings happen at least annually. They stressed the need to continue to collaborate in order to infuse a fullness and vitality into the movement for engaging other men.
The gathering’s conversations centered around moving forward – activating men to engage in vigorous roles that foster nonviolence and hold other men accountable for change, responsibility and forgiveness. The men agreed that tradition and cultural practices are the direction for healing in tribal communities.
Download a summary of the discussion: “Native Men’s Gathering: Experiences that Shape Behaviors and Beliefs about Violence Against Women.”
[1] Berkowitz, A, “Applications of Social Norms Theory to Other Health and Social Justice Issues,” Chapter 16 in The Social Norms Approach to Preventing School and College Age Substance Abuse: A Handbook for Educators, Counselors, and Clinicians, H.W. Perkins (Ed.), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (2003)