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Gender-based Approach Misses the Mark in Tackling Family Violence : Comments
By Roger Smith, published 25/11/2010On White Ribbon Day, we condemn violence against women. We should also condemn it against men.
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In 2003, it developed as an partnership of several women’s and men’s organisations and has grown, over seven years, to a nation-wide campaign, with 1300 men volunteering as White Ribbon Ambassadors across Australia, to lead and inform community engagement. In 2010, 200 communities held White Ribbon events and many workplaces and organisations are also marking White Ribbon Day.
The Campaign has had the support of the Australian government since 2007, with the objective of achieving change in attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate violence against women.
White Ribbon acknowledges that there many forms of violence; however the causes of the different types of violence are complex and require a range of solutions.
Whilst domestic violence is experienced by both men and women, it is clear that men and women do not assault each other at equal rates or with equal effect. A national survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Personal Safety Survey 2005, established:
• Of the men who experienced violence, only 4% of assaults were by a female current or former partner.
• The majority of perpetrators of violence are men. Around 80% of all violent assaults (including sexual assaults) are carried out by some men against other men and women.
• Male victims are most likely to be assaulted by other men and most assaults are single incidents in public places (such as in a pub). 74% of physical assaults on men were carried out by male strangers.
• In contrast to men’s experience of violence, male violence against women generally takes place within family and other relationships and is often part of a pattern of longer term abuse.
One common cause of men’s violence against both men and women is in the way we express masculinity – rigid masculine norms promote and excuse aggression and this has the potential to damage and limit young men and women.
White Ribbon recognises that the best way to prevent violent assaults on men is to change the behaviour of other men.