NEW ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGNS
AIM AT BOYS, YOUNG MEN
SAFETY
By Kimberly
Wilmot Voss - WEnews correspondent
(WOMENSENEWS)
--How do you stop a 30-year
old from beating his wife?
Talk to him
when he's 12.
That's the message
on a banner currently draped
across the San Francisco Giants'
ballpark. It is part of a
new domestic violence prevention
campaign "Coaching Boys
into Men," sponsored
by the Family Violence Prevention
Fund to give men the tools
to teach boys that violence
against women and girls is
wrong.
Since 1994,
the Family Violence Prevention
Fund, in partnership with
The Advertising Council, has
sponsored public education
campaigns to raise awareness
of domestic violence.
The coaching
campaign is one of an increasing
number of programs aimed at
middle and high school boys
in the hopes of stopping domestic
violence before it starts.
U.S. Department of Justice
statistics indicate that women
between the ages of 16 to
24 are nearly three times
more vulnerable to intimate
partner violence (excluding
intimate partner homicide)
than women in other age groups.
Nearly one in five female
high school students report
being physically or sexually
abused by a dating partner,
according to the American
Medical Association.
"In high
school, boys don't often talk
to their parents," said
Lynne Lee, director of public
education for the Family Violence
Prevention Fund. "We
want coaches to use their
role model positions to send
a positive message."
Boys and
Young Men Must Unlearn Behaviors
Experts worry
that possessive dating behavior
is affecting younger age groups,
and research has found that
many teens believe that some
dating violence is acceptable.
The slogan of
the "Coaching Boys into
Men" campaign is "Teach
Early. Teach Often."
Organizers want to dispel
media messages that teach
boys that being a man means
being tough and in control.
Coaches can use their authority
to talk about when aggressive
behavior is appropriate, and
when it's not.
The campaign
also involves posters, T-shirts
and training materials. One
of the most popular posters
features a growth chart of
boys from ages six to 18.
These images are juxtaposed
with messages boys receive:
"make the decisions,"
"take charge" and
"win at all costs."
At the foot of the poster
is the message: "Men's
violence against women is
learned. It can be unlearned."
Larry Cohen,
executive director of the
Prevention Institute, explained
that with the increased awareness
of the ways boys are being
socialized "we'd like
to see schools address this
issue in their curriculum."
He added, "Institutions
need to accept responsibility
for preventing this behavior."
Bullying
Linked to Abuse
Programs for
middle school and high school
students are being used in
many states, including Massachusetts,
Michigan, Texas and California.
These programs address issues
that have often been overlooked
in schools. A study by Prevention
Fund researcher Dean Peacock,
indicates that sometimes abusive
behavior is dismissed or handled
as though it were acceptable
roughhousing. For example,
girls may be told that it
is a sign of affection if
someone kicks or insults them.
"It's a
relevant issue for the schools,"
said Peacock. "Many schools
that allow bullying are also
likely to overlook other problems.
Educators have the power to
affect the social environments
in their classroom."
In Marin County,
California, a program addressing
domestic violence prevention
for young people has been
in place since 2000. Last
year, Steve Marks, Transforming
Communities Marin Coordinator,
talked to 3,000 young adults.
Marks also speaks with teachers
and parents.
"Boys have
gotten the message that they're
superior and that they have
to work to maintain that superiority,"
said Marks. "Many boys
think that a boy has to be
tough--that he has to control
a girl. That bullying can
lead to abuse."
The program
examines sexist attitudes
including discussions of gender
stereotypes. Peacock said
that programs that fail to
do this may have a minimal
effect.
"They know
that they shouldn't use the
'N' words but they are shocked
when I say they shouldn't
use the 'B' word," said
Marks. "It gets their
attention. I can see the wheels
turning."
Plays and films
addressing relationship violence
are also making the rounds
in many school districts.
"The Yellow Dress"
and "Remote Control,"
two plays sponsored by Deana's
Fund, a philanthropy project
that produces educational
anti-violence art-based programs,
were seen by more than 80,000
middle and high school students
last year. Both plays teach
young people how to recognize
early signs of abuse, help
victims, understand the cycle
of abuse and find community
resources.
"We're
training a generation of kids
to make an impact," said
Kate Kain, associate director
of the Marin Abused Women's
Services. "We must address
the root causes of domestic
violence directly."
Kimberly
Wilmot Voss has been a journalist
for the past decade. She is
a journalism professor at
the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
For more
information:
Family Violence
Prevention Fund: - http://endabuse.org/
Minnesota Center
Against Violence and Abuse:
- http://www.mincava.umn.edu
