Local group wants men to help end violence against women
Posted December 6, 2011 7:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and a Vancouver group is calling on men get on board in taking a stand to end violence.
Summer-Raine Bentham with the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter says men have to do their part in calling out other men who are violent.
“Just not using sexist language, I think it’s not buying or watching pornography, it’s not buying women in prostitution. It’s holding other men accountable when you know they are like, “Yeah, I hit my wife last night.’ [It’s] unacceptable.” says Bentham.
She says raising awareness is also a step forward in reaching equality. “Calling account for other men in their life, I think it’s really important that it is coming from other men. It’s one thing for us as women to say ‘Hey, it’s not acceptable,’ but I think it’s a totally different level when men are holding each other accountable,” she adds.
Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, when gunman Marc Lepine went on a shooting spree at Ecole Polytechnique. Fourteen women were killed before Lepine turned the gun on himself.