Men have the privilege, responsibility, and opportunity to work for gender equality. We shape the world we live in.   

By most estimates, between one in three to one in five women will experience sexual or domestic violence at the hands of a male friend, partner, spouse, or date. Additionally, there is the unfortunate reality that many men continue to assume women are inferior to men in many respects. These conditions are both preventable and changeable with a concerted effort by men across the country. This problem is real. A critical mass of caring citizens can overcome gender-based violence and inequality. We must recruit men to step outside the traditional thinking of these problems as "women's issues" in order to eradicate gender-based inequality and violence. 

We call for men from all walks of life to speak up and lend their voices to the chorus of concerned community members who recognize not only the responsibility of men, but also the opportunity to catalyze change. Men cannot ignore the fact that many women in their lives will be mistreated by a man. We say that this requires courage because it is far easier to claim that the problem is not nearly as bad as we state or that you should have no part in fixing it because you are not personally violent. 

Courageous men speak up for gender equality and respect.

Facts 

1. The US Surgeon General stated that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to American women between the ages of 15 and 54.

2. More than 960,000 incidents of violence against an intimate (current and former spouses and dating relationships) occur each year, about 85% of the victims are women. (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992-96.)

3. Nationwide, 30-50% of all female homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner. \

4. Only about one-seventh of all domestic assaults come to the attention of the police.

5. By the age of 20, one third of all young women will experience dating violence.

6. 84 Students contacted Harvard's OSAPR in the 2008/2009 academic year to seek services after a rape, sexual assault, or relationship violence.  

Citations:
1. (The Uniform Crime Report, 1996.)
2. (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992-96.)
3. (Violence by Intimate, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Fact Book, NCJ-167237, March 1998.)
4. (Florida Governor's Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Florida Mortality Review Project, 1997, p.3.)