Donate your used cell phones to Transitions Family Violence Services.  Proceeds from the program benefit victims of domestic violence

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Volunteer for Transitions Family Violence Services.  Join our MVP Program – Men for Violence Prevention. If you don’t have time to volunteer, there are other ways to help. Work with organizations and businesses you know to set up a fundraiser.

Take responsibility for domestic violence as a men’s issue.  Although most men are not perpetrators, the overwhelming majority of perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence are male. Men must become involved if we want to end domestic violence.

Don’t be silent when you see other men being disrespectful or harmful to women.  Confront sexist jokes and jokes about violence against women. If a friend makes a sexist joke, call him out. Take the opportunity to explain how sexist jokes make it easier for men to disrespect women.

Be a role model. Treat the women in your life with respect. Don’t conform to stereotypes of aggressive masculinity. Think about how you can influence those around you through your behavior.

Speak out. Men’s voices can be powerful in changing beliefs and behaviors that support abuse. Take the time to talk to your friends about men’s violence against women. Work with Transitions Family Violence Services towards community awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. 

Talk to your female friends and follow their lead in working against sexism. Ask questions. Listen. Support them. Many women have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime. Be an ally in the struggle against sexism.

Support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. If you think that a female friend has been abused or sexually assaulted, ask if you can help. Believe anyone who tells you that she or he has been abused or assaulted. The most important and easiest step you can take is believing someone who tells you they have been abused. Listen to them, and offer help if they want to find professional resources. Support their decisions, even if they’re not yet ready to seek help. If you need support or have questions, please call Transitions Family Violence Services’ 24-hour free Hotline at (757) 723-7774. 

Use your positions at home and in the community to talk about sexism and men’s violence. Mentor boys and young men to help them become non-violent men. If you’re a member of a community organization, take leadership in a project designed to raise awareness about domestic violence. 

Contact a local, state, or national organization of men against domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Ask what you can do to help. If there’s not a men’s group working against violence in your community, organize your own. You can work with men at your school, workplace or just with your friends to work against rape and sexual assault. For a list of more resources, check out the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. For a work plan that you could use with men in your community, check out the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

Support statewide and national organizations that work against domestic violence. Organizations include the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (VSDVAA), the Family Violence Prevention Fund, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. 

Educate yourself about the link between sexism and men’s violence against women. If you’re a college student, take a women’s studies course. Educate yourself and others about the connections between the social distribution of power and the conflicts between individual men and women.

Educate yourself about masculinity. Read articles, essays, books about multiple masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of sexual violence. Think about how violent masculinity is a root cause of violence against women. 

Don’t fund sexism. Support non-sexist forms of entertainment. Don’t support media stereotypes and negative images of women. Think about how pornography often exploits women by showing them as submissive and featured as victims in violent acts of sexuality. Consider the fact that many women in the pornography industry are victims of rape, sexual assault, and incest.

Don’t fund violence. Support non-violent forms of entertainment. Think critically about how some music and movies portray men as violent and macho. If you have children, offer them non-violent entertainment, and help them think critically about the violent entertainment they’re exposed to.

Attend Take Back the Night rallies and other public events that raise awareness about men’s violence against women. Visit this web site again in early March/April to find out about a local Take Back the Night rally, or visit the national web site. 

Work against all forms of oppression. Sexism, racism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression are connected. Together, they reinforce each other and enable violence.

Speak out against heterosexism, homophobia, and homophobic jokes. Men often use homophobia and gay-bashing to keep other men from taking a stand against sexism. One of the reasons that many men do not speak out is the fear that they will be labeled ‘gay.’ This not only reinforces the power of homophobia, but it keeps many men from speaking out in the first place.

Be aware that as a man, you have the privilege of walking alone without the fear of sexual assault. Unfortunately, women don’t have that same privilege. 

Don’t assume that women want or need your protection; however, you can offer support and companionship if they do want it.

Think about your own behavior. How might your thoughts and actions perpetuate sexism and help enable violence against women? Examining and changing your own thoughts and actions takes courage, but you’re ultimately responsible for your own behavior. Only you can change yourself. If you have ever been emotionally, psychologically, verbally, physically, or sexually abusive to women, seek professional help immediately.

If you have ever been emotionally, psychologically, verbally, physically, or sexually abusive to women, seek professional help immediately.

Support or propose curriculum changes at every level of the educational system in order to mandate courses and programs dealing with sexual and domestic violence. Also support anti-bullying programs and comprehensive sex education that teaches students about relationship equality and effective communication skills.

Support candidates for political office who are committed to full social, economic, and political equality of women. Actively oppose candidates who are not.

Contact your local, state, and national representatives and push them to do more about violence against women. Ask them to support increased funding for women’s shelters, rape crisis centers, domestic violence agencies, and educational programs about sexism and violence against women.