The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is launching a new program, “Men Stopping Violence Against Women,” the group hopes will engage men and boys in the effort to end gender-based violence.
The Crisis Center locally has been at the forefront of working with creating partnerships between men and women that address gender equality and the negative consequences of unequal power relationships.
“While we know that both men and women are perpetrators of domestic abuse and sexual assault, we can’t ignore statistics that indicate the majority of this abuse is committed by men,” said David Braughton, president and chief executive of the Crisis Center, in a release. “We know that targeted anti-violence education is key in reducing gender-based violence in our community.”
The program is a concentrated effort to build a network of leaders committed to engaging men in a community effort to end violence. It is funded by a grant from the Verizon Foundation that allows for six months of grassroots mobilizing.
To help launch the program, the Crisis Center has brought in consultant Ben Atherton-Zeman, a word-renowned advocate and educator in violence prevention. He is the spokesman for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, and is a public speaker on issues of violence prevention.
His talks have taken place at military bases, colleges, high schools, public theaters, conferences, churches and juvenile detention facilities, according to a release. Atherton-Zeman also has worked as a prevention educator for rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs and state coalitions.
Those people and organizations interested in becoming involved with “Men Stopping Violence Against Women” can call the Crisis Center at (813) 969-4983.
