Ted Bunch and Tony Porter, advocates against domestic violence, spoke to students and faculty on how men can work to end violence against women in their communities yesterday at Collis Commonground.
Both speakers primarily discussed the issues surrounding sexism, which they said they believe to be at the very core of violence against women. Because men are taught from childhood to view women as objects, all men value women less. This perception permits violence against women to continue, they said.
Porter, the director of Nyack Hospital Addition Services in Rockland County, New York, illustrated this problem by posing a scenario. He asked men in the audience what they would do if they witnessed a male assault his female partner. All of the men whom he asked responded that they would either ignore the act or look away. However, when Porter asked the same men if they would confront a male assailant if he were a stranger to the woman, they unanimously agreed they would act.
Porter used the audience's reactions to further his argument. A woman's value and worth, including her rights, decrease when she is attached to a man, he said.
Porter attributed the reaction to society's misrepresentation of male and female roles. He said that men do not choose to act because society teaches them not to.
"She belongs to him, which makes it none of my business," Porter said, illustrating the attitude which he said society engenders in men.
Bunch, the senior program director of the Domestic Violence Accountability Program of Safe Horizon, in Brooklyn, New York, expanded on Porter's remarks. He told the audience that in order to participate in the struggle against violence, it is crucial that men learn to respect women.
"It's about respecting women and not respecting women," he said, indicating that in order to stop violence, "well-meaning men must act."
Bunch mentioned some ways that men could begin to confront the issues of sexism and violence. He discussed the importance of action.
"Our silence is colluded with the battery," Bunch said.
Men should also "not laugh at women jokes" and instead choose to treat the issue seriously, he said.
Though it is difficult to confront these issues, both Bunch and Porter agreed that confrontation is essential in beginning the struggle to end violence against women.
Though small and mostly female, the crowd was active in the discussion. Many seemed to agree with Porter and Bunch about the need to confront the issues related to violence against women.
One audience member, Carol Merrill, the Director of Services for Women Students at Weber State University in Utah, described the talk as "extremely valuable."
"Awareness is imperative to the mental and physical well-being of students," she said.
