#menstoppingviolence

[blackmensmile]

When this all started, I had several conversations with folks raising concerns about how exponentially difficult this was going to be for the most vulnerable. Molestation, physical and verbal abuse, denying food as a punishment would be a tragic outcome of this isolation. Our dear brother and collaborator @mrchrisclassic offered these words this morning and we want to repost and follow suit. This is real and in so many cases we know when this is going on but don’t step up and say anything. Reach out to your folks AND make sure folks know that they can reach out to you.—- Original post: @mrchrisclassic “im not judging you but im not gonna say the shit is cool cause its not.. you know its not too.. if you need to talk to another brother who has a family , send me a DM or email.. im not puttin ya business out in the street or screenshottin anything... you need a space to talk without ya hands my brother. im here man.. no judgement.. lets just leave them alone right now, they are stuck too... im here to listen, i’ll only give advice if you want to hear it. [email protected] (press the button under my name.. or DM me) “ #blackmensmile #domesticviolenceawareness #mybrotherskeeper #mysisterskeeper #menstoppingviolence https://www.instagram.com/p/B-e9uacgE1F/?igshid=1xhml8160t3q9

[enjoyceinglife]

So appreciative of the opportunity to moderate the @FriendsSchoolOfAtlanta #BelovedCommunity panel this evening about how to end #SexualHarassment for the next generation. There were such wonderful insights & solutions from the panelists: Ulester Douglas of #MenStoppingViolence, Elaine Woo of @AtlantaWomen4Equality & Selima Lust of @IwillaRemedy. I was particularly encouraged by the solutions that parents & panelists shared about talking with children at all ages about preventing harassment in terms of them not being the aggressor or the victim. Helping them with language & behavior early, & being available for their questions is vital. It was a powerful conversation. #StopSexualHarassment #UseYourVoice #ParentingWin (at Friends School of Atlanta)

[enjoyceinglife]

I'm so honored to moderate the @FriendsSchoolOfAtlanta's 2018 Beloved Community Dialogue, "Can We Eliminate Sexual Harassment for the Next Generation?" at 6 pm today. The panel will feature: • Ulester Douglas, Executive Director, #MenStoppingViolence • Elaine Woo, Legal Director, @AtlantaWomen4Equality • Selima Lust, Founder, @IwillaRemedy With an American being sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, a child being assaulted every 8 minutes, and more than half of American women reporting being sexually harassed, such discussions, advocacy and action are vital to stemming the tide of this abuse. I hope you can join me! #TimesUp #MeToo #EndSexualHarassment #StopSexualAbuse (at Friends School of Atlanta)

[noellenicolls]

A few weeks ago I attended a forum “Because We Have Mothers, Sisters and Daughters - a Forum on Men Stopping Violence”, organised by the Bureau of Women’s Affairs in partnership with the US Embassy, the Bahamas Crisis Centre and the Caribbean Male Action Network (CariMAN) Bahamas. A woman in the audience, who seemed exacerbated by the scope of the problem, stood up during the question and answer section and delivered an impassioned speech about the many people who “talk” about ending violence. At the end of her monologue, she asked a simple question: Are we serious?

[feministowl]

Yes, yes, yes. This is exactly the perspective that inspired my honors thesis and the basis of my future graduate work... we must focus on the perpetrators in order to prevent the violence THEY are perpetrating. 

[feministowl]

So, I actually have some pretty big issues with the "just don't do it" take on sexual assault prevention. While it is a good rule to live by, there's so much more to prevention than just saying: "Don't Rape". The "Just say no" campaign against teenage drug use was almost completely ineffective and used the exact same rhetoric as these "Don't Rape" campaigns. Why are they ineffective? Because they don't address what's really going on with the issue. There are deeply engrained attitudes and social behavioral norms that dictate rape culture. It's called culture and not practice - if it was just an issue of a practice, we could just then say "Just don't do it". Instead, it is a severe and devastatingly ubiquitous symptom, among many, of our extremely sick society.

Bottom lines (there's never really just one bottom line): 1. Yes, don't rape. 2. Also, change your attitudes about women and gender and power and dominance and heteropatriarchy altogether - then you may be less inclined to rape.

[feministowl]

Why has the fight against VAW been so sluggish? Because THIS ^ has not happened on large enough scale (i.e., on a global scale). We can't put an end to violence against women if the only fighters are the targets. A movement is only successful when there are strong allies from the privileged group.