ENGAGING MEN AND
BOYS IN PREVENTING
VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
Dr Michael
Salter
Western
Sydney
University
STRUCTURE
1. What is primary prevention?
2. What is the primary cause of violence against women?
3. Why should we engage boys and men in prevention?
4. Best practice examples
5. Strategies for engaging men and boys
Questions and discussion
1. WHAT IS PRIMARY PREVENTION
Intervention after the fact
Working with ‘at risk’ groups
Prevent the problem before it
occurs.
WHY PRIMARY PREVENTION?
 The primary prevention of violence against women aims to
prevent violence before it occurs .
 Most time and energy is invested in tertiary responses af ter
violence has occurred inc health, welfare, criminal justice.
 However violence against women is so prevalent and
impactful that tertiary ef forts cannot meet demand.
 Further, the upscaling of tertiary interventions over the last
thirty years has not resulted in a reduction in gendered
violence.
SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL MODEL
 Risk and resiliency factors are present at all levels of
society.
 Currently, most ef forts focus on risk and resiliency at the
individual and tertiary level.
 How can we work with communities and organisations to
reduce violence and keep women safe?
2. WHAT CAUSES VAW?
 Violence against women is complex and diverse. Research and
practical experience suggests multiple contributors to violence
against women.
 Where should we direct our “upstream” efforts to prevent
violence against women before it occurs?
 In Australia and internationally, gender inequality has been
identified has the primary cause of violence against women.
 Multiple definitions and understandings of gender inequality,
however, across various measures, societies where women have
a greater share of power, resources and opportunities tend to
have lower rates of violence against women.
DEFINING GENDER INEQUALIT Y
Gender norms
‘Traditional’ gender roles
Aggressive masculinities
Gender inequality as ‘natural’
VAW as a ‘private’ matter
Permissive beliefs about VAW
Victim blaming
Structural gender inequality
Educational participation
Workforce participation
Wage equality
Health disparities
Asset accumulation
Power sharing
Broader cultural and structural contributors
Economic and geographic inequalities
Structural and institutional racism and prejudice
Social, cultural and religious values
STRATEGIES TO PREVENT VIOLENCE
 Changing gender norms:
 Antenatal and postpartum services for new parents
 Anti-bullying education in schools (anti-sexism, anti-homophobia)
 Respectful relationships and consent education in schools,
universities
 Bystander intervention programs
 Social marketing campaigns
 Changing structural gender inequalities:
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Women’s economic empowerment
Workplace training and policies on gender equality
Alcohol regulation
“Whole of organisation” approaches
Community mobilization approaches
PREVENTION PARADOX
 C h a n g i n g n o r m s w i t h o ut a d d r e s s i n g s t r uc t ur a l
i n e q u a l i t i e s b l un t s t h e e f f e c t iv e n e s s o f t h e i n te r ve n t i o n
BUT
 I m p rov i n g w o m e n ’ s s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m ic p o s i t io n
w i t h o ut c h a n g i n g g e n d e r n o r m s c a n t r i g g e r b a c k l a s h .
 We l l i n te n t i o n e d b u t p o o r l y p l a n n e d i n te r v e n t i o n s c a n
increase rather than decrease risk. Examples of
c o u n te rp r o d uct i v e e f f e c t s :
 Structural change: Women’s increased workforce
participation in China corresponding with increased
reports of sexual violence.
 Cultural change: Attempts to prevent VAW by appealing
to stereotypes (eg ‘real men’) reinforces pro-violence
norms and sexist divisions of labour.
THE “REAL MEN” PROBLEM
Hit me not her
As a male and as an artist I
believe that women are a source
of life - and poetry. Not even
with a rose petal should women
be offended or abused … Hitting
or abusing a woman is an act of
cowardice. Real men don’t hit
women.
Antonio Bandares,
UN He For She Ambassador
RESOLVING THE PARADOX
 Community and organisation level interventions resolve the
prevention paradox by incorporating cultural and structural
interventions.
 The efficacy of face -to-face programming can be enhanced by
changes to policy and practice that ameliorate gender inequality.
 Communities and institutions appropriate sites of intervention:
 Enables the tailoring of interventions to local contexts and needs
 At the ‘mid level’ of the social ecology, communities and
organisations can impact both individuals and macro -level factors.
3. WHY ENGAGE MEN AND BOYS?
 Men and boys are a part of communities and institutions and
primary prevention cannot work without them!
 Men and boys are the primary perpetrators of physical and
sexual violence against women, men and children.
 The social construction of masculinity is at the heart of violence
and gender inequality and needs to change.
 Work with men and is effective, and many are already strong
advocates of non-violence and gender equality.
 Failing to engage men and boys puts women at risk of increased
violence where economic or institutional changes increase
gender equality.
4. BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
a. Community mobilisation approach: Strong Aboriginal Men
b. Whole of organisation approach: NRL Respectful
Relationships
4A. STRONG ABORIGINAL MEN (ECAV)
 Integrates direct participation with whole -of-community
approach:
 Consultation: Once invited, SAM workers begin consulting with
community leaders and members as well as services and stakeholders
 Building networks of support: SAM workers introduce themselves via
doorknocking and community events to discuss community histories
and concerns
 Workshop delivery: Three workshops for men and boys are held in
consecutive months
 Developing an action plan: The workshop participants scope and
implement community-based prevention activities with ECAV support
 Building stronger communities:
 Integration with Strong Aboriginal Women and Weaving The Net
 Focus on connecting community members with available services
 Further training via Certificate IV in Aboriginal Family Health and Advanced
Diploma in Aboriginal Trauma Specialist Counselling, and articulation into
tertiary education.
SAM EVALUATION
 Workshop notes from 11 communities between 2011 -2014 included info on:
 increases in rates of disclosure amongst men (of victimisation and perpetration)
 increases in forms of help-seeking (health, mental health, employment services)
 the development of community -based responses to violence.
 In 70% of communities where SAM was run, the men’s group was revived
and expanded.
 In 20% of communities, new men’s groups were formed.
 In 40% of communities, SAM par ticipants organised and ran anti-violence
initiatives including anti -violence education programs in schools,
community forums, training programs, and White Ribbon day events.
 It appear s that the ef fects of SAM potentially operated laterally between
multiple communities leading to increased readiness and interest in
prevention activities.
4B. NRL RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS
 Initiated in 2004 following a series of high profile sexual
assault and domestic violence allegations against NRL players.
 Part of broader Welfare and Education program targeting the
health and welfare of players.
 Two/three hour sessions delivered over six weeks to young
players by current/former players.
 Content focused on mutuality and respect in relationships and
bystander intervention in ‘risky’ situations.
 Six month post-program evaluation found 100% of participants
(n=29) reported using the skills they learnt in the program.
“My mate was tr ying to get with a really drunk, barely standing
up chick. I told him off and paid for her taxi home ”
Male, 17, heterosexual, Kiwi/ Australian
When my girlfriend didn’t want to have sex, I respected that and
talked to her about it . I felt like I was doing the right thing.
Male, 17, Heterosexual, Aboriginal
During a fight, attempting to cool the situation but not getting
involved. (The) situation turned out positively
Male, 17, Heterosexual, Anglo -Australian
 Anti-violence and Respectful Relationships part of broader
health promotion focus embedded at multiple institutional
levels:
 Face-to-face prevention program delivery
 Significant changes to club policy and code of practice adopted by all
staff, coaches, players.
 Anti-violence initiatives woven into ‘web of prevention’ inc alcohol and
drugs, mentoring of Aboriginal and Pacific Islander players, holistic
approach to player wellbeing.
 Considerable flow -on ef fects into the community given the
profile of the code and players.
5. STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING BOYS
AND MEN
 Negotiating masculinity
 Recognising disadvantage
 Framing prevention for boys and men
 Peer to peer approaches
 Ensuring accountability
NEGOTIATING MASCULINIT Y
We had an understanding of gender that was not purely about
hegemonic masculinity but was about the ways that
masculinities might run in parallel within a particular person. So
one of the guys … was a really tough player. Fearsome player in
the day. I remember watching him. He was just hardcore.
Extraordinarily gentle guy of f the field, and really articulate
about the way he played and why he played like he did. People
aren't one aspect of their gender.
Sports club prevention program facilitator
I think the ethics of education are really interesting, because
you are - you're messing with people, especially around this
stuf f [violence]. It's very fundamental identity stuf f. There were
also victims and survivors of sexual assault in the groups too.
People from families with lots of trauma. Lots of people
disclosed to us and - or told us stories of friends and sisters and
so on, who had experienced violence. What that was like for
them, or their mothers or - and so it was - they - there was no
sense in which it didn't resonate with them.
Prevention program facilitator
RECOGNISING DISADVANTAGE
And the challenge with that too, is that there are men and boys who are
disenfranchised. Who - for whom power is not an experience they actually
have, unless it's maybe lauding it over somebody else. But in the grand
scheme of things, are profoundly disenfranchised.
Research and policy exper t
The fir st thing they see is they've got to give up something and they've got to
give up a lot. They're already unemployed, they already can't find work , their
role in the family has been trashed in their way of thinking - and you want me
to give up this?
Prevention program facilitator in refugee communities
That's constantl y at the forefront of our minds that these young people walk
around carr ying a lot of shame already. So how do we correct this or suppor t
them to challenge that thinking without shaming them?
School based program coordinator
FRAMING PREVENTION FOR MEN AND
BOYS
[W]hat kind of father do you want to be, what kind of father,
what kind of husband, what kind of man do you want to be?”
Now I've sat in on sessions where those questions have been
asked in the introduction of the program – “these are things
that we're going to be exploring” and instantly the men will hear
that, it's recognisable. …
I've seen the hardest, hardest most brutal -looking men reduced
to tears in that very moment because everybody, I think, wants
to be good.
Community -based educator
PEER TO PEER APPROACHES
When you have the peer led approach where they [male
participants] say something which is not consistent with our
program, usually their peers actually respond the right way, like
“So what do you think about what Johnny said, like saying that
so and so is a slut for doing that?” Usually their peers, they
come up with alternative responses like “Yeah no that’s not
cool”. So instead of being authoritative and telling them what's
the right or wrong answer, the peer led approach is just
engaging discussion, getting them to come up with the answers
and drawing out responses from them. Which is - nine times out
of ten it works like that.
School-based facilitator
In many cases, the young men might be much - might be
engaging, for example, with their female partners in a much
more egalitarian way, than the coaches or the CEOs are. Or
[they] might have many more women friends than the older men
have. The older men might be socialising in all -male groups,
whereas the young guys have always had a mixed friendship
group. They kind of - but the older men can't necessarily see
that the younger men have, in fact, a kind of very dif ferent
approach to gender than they do.
Program facilitator
ENSURING ACCOUNTABILIT Y
The blokes who are actually running the [men’s] programs are
domestic violence and sexual assault of fenders … if behaviours
[like] violence against women and kids comes up [in the men’s
programs], it's absolutely excused.
Service manager
KEY LEARNINGS: ENGAGING BOYS & MEN
 Programs should engage men and boys in discussi ons about masculinity
and violence, recognising the ambiguities and diver sity of gendered
identities and experiences .
 Programs should be sensitive to the inter sections of gender inequality with
other forms of inequality, including pover ty and racism.
 Prevention should frame violence against women as an obstacle to the
goals and aspirations of boys and men.
 Peer to peer approaches enable boys and men to lead and drive prevention
programs in par tner ship with prevention worker s and facilitator s.
 Men and boys programs are best situated within networks of accountability
where there is dialogue with women’s ser vices and relevant communities.
KEY LEARNINGS: PREVENTION METHODS
 Common themes in ‘best practice’ community and organisational
level interventions:
 Iterative and flexible: build prevention capacity by supporting members
to identify contributing factors to violence against women and implement
solutions.
 Mutually reinforcing components: Cultural changes (via face-to-face
programming) potentially sustained by structural changes (changes to
policy, services, social infrastructure) and vice versa.
 Identify and nurture talent: Community/org members develop skills and
then take active role in prevention initiatives.
 ‘Web of prevention’: Violence prevention linked to social determinants of
health and wellbeing.
 In a coordinated prevention approach , community/organisational
interventions interlinked with individual (e.g. early intervention,
treatment) and macro-social (e.g. social marketing, policy and
law reform) approaches to maximise impact.