101 Things You Can Do To Prevent Sexual Assault

Pledge to End Sexual Violence

Archive

Statistics

Myths vs Facts

Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

Links of Interest

State Coalitions

Statutes and Definitions

Nevada Crisis Centers

If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted

Sexual Assault Glossary of Terms

Survivor Information

Get Involved

Break the silence.  Sexual violence and other forms of oppressive behavior thrive on silence. Speak out when you see friends, family members or others making sexually offensive jokes, remarks, or performing inappropriate behaviors.  Let the other person know how important the issue is to you, and suggest positive, constructive alternatives for their behavior.  Support legislation that supports victims’ rights.  Join or donate funds to an organization working to prevent sexual violence.  Get involved in community or campus initiatives against sexual violence such as Take Back the Night or Operation Freefall.  Volunteer at your local Rape Crisis/Crime Victim Center.  Mentor and teach young people about what you’ve learned.

Ending sexual violence requires long-term commitment involving all of society.  It is important to recognize that sexual violence is a men's issue as well as a women's issue.  Men are not just perpetrators or offenders, they are also survivors.  Men can also be powerful allies in the fight to end sexual violence.

Ten Things Men Can Do To Prevent Gender Violence

  1. Approach gender violence as a MEN'S issue involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.
  2. If  a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is abusing his female partner -- or is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general -- don't look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don't know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor. DON'T REMAIN SILENT.
  3. Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don't be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.
  4. If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.
  5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.
  6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-based women's centers. Attend "Take Back the Night" rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centers and battered women's shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.
  7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (eg. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do so).
  8. Attend programs, take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence.  Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.
  9. Don't fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.
  10. Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don't involve degrading or abusing girls and women. Volunteer to work with gender violence prevention programs, including anti-sexist men's programs. Lead by example.
Copyright 1999, Jackson Katz. www.jacksonkatz.com
Reprint freely with credit.