The White Ribbon Campaign, SACHA, and the Immigrant Women’s Centre teamed up to make an infographic about men’s role in taking action on gendered violence.
Here is the text:
We can do better. we can do more. Men can play a huge role in ending gender-based violence. Men are part of a solution; That means being prepared to interrupt, stand up to, and prevent violence in the spaces we work, live, hang out, and study in.
What can men do?
Listen to the women in Your life and community.
Really listen. What do they need? What are they missing? What needs doing? Where are the struggles and where are people thriving?
Learn about the struggles that have come before you.
Learn more about power and privilege. Talk to other anti-sexist men about how they confront male privilege.
Look into your own life.
Where do you have power? How have you used this power in the past? Manhood does not equal domination. Use the position you have to help make space for others to empower themselves. Inspire other men to consider consequences and embrace role modelling.
Stand up against sexism.
Stand up against rape culture. Find your voice. Find out how to amplify the voices of women and survivors. Ask yourself if you are making a safer space for women in your life to find support. What are you reinforcing or silently supporting?
Prepare to make mistakes.
Prepare to apologize. Prepare to listen and learn again, and again. Be aware of how much space you take up in the conversation.
Create the world we want.
Create a space for men to talk, heal from sexism and take action. Encourage men to strive towards being difference-makers, embracing the power we have and the actions we can take. We are creating our world, in both the BIG actions, and also how we treat each other day to day.
This is a conversation about all of us. It is not ‘us versus them.’ We can do better. Together, we can work towards a change that affects us all!
By Jeff Perera, White Ribbon Campaign & Erin Crickett, Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area
Design by Michelle Both, Immigrant Women’s Centre