The following is a guest post submitted by Jim Doyle, Executive Director of Self-Protection. org.
Walking with my 9-year-old son around the University of Missouri – Kansas City campus with over 100 other men gave me a chance to teach my son that not all men/boys respect women, even though they should. At the half way point, my son complained that his feet hurt. The teaching moment descended upon us as I explained to him, in a nine year old appropriate way, about violence against women. He spent the remainder of the walk in silent thought. Why were we there?
Walk a Mile in Her shoes is an international men’s march to end rape, sexual assault and gender violence. The awkward march of men clanking around the sidewalks of the campus in high heeled shoes revealed our attitudes about sexual violence. But, the march must become more than a symbolic gesture. We must use the event as a commitment to respect women, to start a long-term conversation about gender violence and finally as a catalyst to take action.
Let’s use this event as a commitment to walk in her shoes every day. These are our mothers and sisters, wives and girlfriends, our daughters. Let’s make a commitment to treat every woman in our lives with respect all the time. And we should demand that our friends and brothers and sons and fathers do the same.
Let’s start a conversation among men. Let’s have a conversation about our responsibilities in preventing rape, sexual assault and gender violence. What can each of us do? What would we want our society to look like for our mothers, sisters, wives or girlfriends? What kind of society do we want our daughters to grow up in? And finally, how can we participate in this change?
“Getting engaged in changing things is quite straightforward. If we have an idea, or want to resolve an injustice, or stop a tragedy, we step forward to serve. Instead of being overwhelmed and withdrawing, we act.” (From Perseverance by Margaret Wheatley, 2010).
So Men, let’s reflect on the blistered toes and stiff calf muscles and act to end violence in all of its forms.