II. Building men’s commitment to ending sexual violence against women

Building men's commitment to ending sexual violence against womenMichael Flood Efforts to prevent sexual violence against women and girls now increasingly take as given that they must engage men and boys.The theatre-based intervention described in the previous issue of Feminism & Psychology (Rich, 2010) is one of a wave of programs and strategies focused on males.Using that intervention as a springboard, this piece asks: why should we engage men and boys in preventing violence against women, what strategies are under way, and do they work?Educational interventions among males often invite them to become active or pro-social bystanders, taking action to stop the perpetration of specific incidents of violence, reduce the risks of violence escalating, and strengthen the conditions that work against violence occurring (Powell 2010: 6-7).However, engaging men in challenging rape-supportive norms and behaviours is hard work.This piece concludes by discussing the barriers to, and supports for, men's bystander interventions.There is a compelling rationale for addressing men in ending violence against women, with three key elements.First, while most men do not use violence against women, particularly in its bluntest forms, when violence occurs it is perpetrated overwhelmingly by men.Second, constructions of masculinity play a crucial role in shaping men's perpetration of violence against women.This is true in terms of individual men's attitudes, gender inequalities in families and relationships, and the gendered organisation of communities and entire societies (Flood in press).Third, men themselves must change, taking both personal and collective action, if men's violence against women is to be eliminated.There are growing efforts to involve boys and men in various capacities associated with the prevention of violence against women: as participants in education programs, as targets of social marketing campaigns, as policy makers and gatekeepers, and as activists and advocates.A 'spectrum' of prevention strategies have been adopted, operating at multiple levels of the social order: promoting community education, educating providers, strengthening and mobilising