VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Coaching Boys into Men PSA Campaign
Backlash Q & A “ Father and Son”

You seem to be saying that only men are batterers. I’ve seen data showing that women hit men more often than men hit women. Why don’t you run a campaign that encourages girls and women not to commit domestic violence? And what about when domestic violence occurs in lesbian and gay relationships?

All batterers are not men. Violence that is not committed in self-defense is wrong regardless of the gender of the person who commits the violence. But research shows conclusively that, in the vast majority of domestic violence assaults in which injuries occur, the perpetrator is a man and the victim is a woman. Domestic violence is a costly and pervasive problem in our society today because too many men abuse and injure women, and too many children grow up thinking that kind of behavior is acceptable. The Family Violence Prevention Fund’s new prevention campaign is designed to convince men who are role models to their sons, nephews, friends and neighbors to take time to teach boys how to treat girls and women. We see men as role models who can carry positive messages about domestic violence. That is why we designed this campaign to show the millions of responsible men how they can help prevent domestic abuse.

When you say, “teach early,” do you want parents to teach girls as well as boys? Why is your campaign geared only to men?

You are right that we need to teach all children about domestic violence. On the Family Violence Prevention Fund’s web site, at www.endabuse.org, you will find materials that offer tips and advice about how to talk to both boys and girls. Please look them over and share them with your friends. Thank you for raising such an important point.

Why isn’t there any diversity here? Do you think domestic violence occurs only among white people? Why are your spots only in English?

Domestic violence occurs in every community regardless of race, ethnicity, income and other demographic factors. The Family Violence Prevention Fund has a long, proud commitment to diversity in all of our public education and other work. All of our public education campaigns address diverse audiences. In fact, our “It’s Your Business” campaign is the only radio campaign ever to direct messages about domestic violence to an African-American audience. Our print ads for this campaign include diverse men and boys, and an additional Spanish-language radio “Padre y Hijo” is also available.

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