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Though domestic violence and sexual assault have clearly gained
prominence as matters of public concern over the past two decades,
these continue to be viewed primarily as a "women´s issues."
The Men´s Initiative
for Jane Doe (MIJD) has been established to help encourage men
and boys to get involved in prevention and education work through
community organizing and strong collaborations with direct service
anti-violence programs. MIJD creates an unique opportunity for men
in Massachusetts to pledge their commitment to helping end domestic
violence and sexual assault. MIJD will:
- provide education, training, and support for all men interested
in direct participation
- create a volunteer clearinghouse to identify opportunities where
men can play a role on the statewide level as well as within their
local communities
- facilitate the formation of men's outreach teams in collaboration
with community based programs; efforts will range from personal
support groups, auxiliary fundraising committees for shelters
for battered women and mentoring programs for boys and young men.
MIJD firmly believes that men's voices and active participation
are critical to the success of efforts to end men's violence against
women, children and other men. While men who work in clinics, professional
education and criminal justice arenas are engaged in this work,
historically men in the general public remain uninvolved. A growing
number of examples suggest that when asked and offered an accessible
task, men will respond and play a valuable role.
MIJD invites men to take responsibility, to raise their voices,
and to support offenders in choosing new behavior. The core knowledge
for this campaign will be drawn from the experience, writings and
participation of long standing programs, such as: Emerge, Boston;
Men Stopping Violence, Atlanta; Men Stopping Rape, Madison; Men
Can Stop Rape, DC; RAVEN, St. Louis; ManAlive, San Rafael; Men Overcoming
Violence, San Francisco; BrotherPeace, Minnesota; White Ribbon Campaign,
Montreal.
As the MIJD network continues to grow, so does the range of activities.
It holds regular meetings as well as public events. Click on the
links below for current information about activities:
If you would like more information about MIJD or would like to
get involved, please contact mensinitiative@janedoe.org
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