Men say they feel powerless as Victoria in grips of homicide crisis
As outrage grows over the shocking rate at which women are being killed, abused and controlled by men, new data reveals a third of Victorian men believe they are powerless to prevent the surge in abuse.
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A third of Victorian men believe they are powerless to prevent escalating rates of violence against women despite the vast majority wanting to take action, new data shows.
The finding from national violence prevention organisation Our Watch comes amid outrage by victim-survivors and advocates at the shocking rate of women being killed, abused and controlled by men.
Nationally 70 women have been killed by violence this year, with Isla Bell, Vicky Van Aken, Nikkita Azzopardi, Hannah McGuire, Chaithanya “Swetha” Madhagani and Rebecca Young among the Victorians whose lives were ended allegedly by men.
Alarming research shows a third of men in Victoria believe they can’t personally prevent violence against women, despite 70 per cent declaring they want to.
Nearly half of Victorian men feel a pressure to act “stereotypically manly” – with men who support rigid ideals of masculinity 17 times more likely to report hitting a partner, according to research.
Former North Melbourne football player Ben Brown is among several violence prevention advocates calling for men and boys to unite to end violence against women.
“We have a huge opportunity as men to be allies and take action,” he said.
“We need men to be courageous, to speak up to help prevent and end violence against women – but too many of us are silent or don’t know where to start.”
The call to action comes a decade on from the Herald Sun’s Take a Stand campaign which aimed at changing male attitudes and encouraging men to call out disrespectful behaviour toward women.
Among the prominent Victorian men who joined the pledge were then-AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and former premier Denis Napthine, with the campaign successfully urging a Royal Commission.
Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly said Victoria was in the grips of a homicide crisis, which wouldn’t end without urgent action.
“This year alone nine Victorian women’s lives and futures have ended through violence,” she said.
Overwhelming evidence shows that men, especially those in leadership roles and positions of power, can play a significant part in the structural and culture change needed to end sexism and disrespect towards women that leads to violence.
Ms Kinnersly said education and rejection of harmful portrayals of masculinity on social media and in pornography were key to improving women’s safety.
“To stop violence before it starts, we must work with young men and boys at school, in workplaces and online to help them navigate the complexities of what healthy masculinities look like for them,” she said.
“If we do this right, it is more likely that young men will grow up to be respectful, feel safe to express their emotions and know that violence is never the answer.”
Tarang Chawla, whose sister Nikita was killed by her partner in 2015, said “men don’t wake up one day and just decide to kill their partner”.
“It starts off in ways that might seem harmless – locker room talk, sexist jokes, making fun of violence, objectifying women or asserting dominance over their partner,” he said.
“I would love to see more men questioning controlling behaviour towards women.”
In an indication of generational change, the survey shows Australian men aged in their 30s were far more likely (91 per cent) than men aged in their 50s (68 per cent) to want to take action to prevent violence against women and girls.
Four ways men can prevent violence against women
1. Show it’s not OK: If you see something that’s disrespectful towards women use your body language to show your disapproval such as rolling your eyes, shaking your head or walking away.
2. Support women: Ask if she’s OK in person or in a message, acknowledge what happened: “Hey, I’m sorry. That wasn’t cool”.
3. Speak up: Question sexist jokes: “I don’t get what’s funny?”, focus on the behaviour: “That comment was out of line” or purposely change the topic: “Seriously? Let’s move on”.
4. Use your influence: If you are a leader within a workplace, sporting club or education organisation you can facilitate cultural change by modelling respect or embedding gender equality in policies within the organisation
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