Men who respect women, please speak up to help end the violence

Australia’s national violence prevention organisation Our Watch has called on men to join the momentum for change to prevent any further deaths of women at the hands of men. 

Our Watch Chief Executive Patty Kinnersly said of the 26 women allegedly killed this year, according to Counting Dead Women, all but one have allegedly been killed by a man. 

“It is simply shocking that another two women have been killed this week and another two communities in Forbes and Cobram are left devastated by this extreme violence. These deaths along with those at Bondi and Ballarat show that none of us and no community is safe from violence against women.” 

While female homicides have been trending down in recent decades, the last two months have seen a high number of deaths. We all have to do more to prevent this national crisis from spiraling any further.  

“The shocking rate of violent deaths of women this year exceeds anything Australia has experienced in recent years. The community - men and women – is demanding that this ends and ends now.  

 “Evidence clearly shows that violence against women is driven by rigid ideas of masculinity, sexism and disrespect.  These attitudes are still widely held, even among young men, with Australian research showing that almost one in three men aged 30 and under self-report using physical or sexual violence. That rises to two in three when men identify with rigid ideas of masculinity like the need for men to be tough, in control and use aggression. 

 “To any man who is concerned about his behaviour, please seek help.  

“To the vast majority of men who respect women, please speak up: in your workplaces, in your sporting clubs, with your mates and to your boys.  

“In the last week, male leaders have been stepping-up and calling for men to be part of this change. We call on men across workplaces, sporting clubs, educational institutions, social media and the broader community to join the push for change.   

“We need male allies leading this conversation, and being courageous and calling out their friends when they make sexist or disrespectful comment or minimise violence.   

“ Behind every number is a woman who was loved and who lived.  When it comes to violence against women, the only acceptable figure is zero.”  

Ms Kinnersly said these latest deaths were just the tips of the iceberg, with hundreds of thousands of women being impacted by men’s violence and abuse every year and 13 women a day hospitalised because of their injuries.  

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