What is Men Against Violence (MAV)?
MAV is a
men's campaign to stop violence against women. We do this through raising awareness, education, challenging attitudes and encouraging good men to act as
positive male role models.
(Please Watch Video for More Details)
We also
want to raise awareness of other forms of violence such as male victims of
violence and homophobic hate crime.
The Issue
Violence
against women is an endemic in our society with almost 50% of women in the UK
facing some kind of abuse in their lifetime. 1 in 4 women will be victims of
domestic abuse and 23% of women will be sexually assaulted. Teenage girls in
our towns and cities are groomed by gangs and forced to have sex many times a
day, every day.
The good
news is that most men don't abuse women and many men would be interested in helping to end violence against women. MAV wants to empower men to change themselves
and their communities. We believe that violence against women is a crime that can
and must end.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes'Walk a Mile' is a craze that began in North America and features men and boys marching in a pair of women's shoes to show their opposition to violence against women. We would like to organise such an event in Preston, Lancashire as a fundraiser for Lancashire SAFE Centre. (an organisation supporting survivors of sexual violence) 'Walk a Mile' is a great way to engage guys with this difficult issue and educate people about how they can make a difference.
What We Need
We need to raise £900 in order to get our campaign off the ground and organise a Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event in Preston. Most of this money will be to produce leaflets, banners and other promotional/educational material.Some of these are one-off costs (such as images from istockphoto), so once we've bought they won't need replacing.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't donate but would like to help just email us at mavpreston@hotmail.co.uk. We will be looking for volunteers in the near future. If you have any particular skills that may be of use to us then please let us know. Please tell others about this campaign and our appeal for funds.