Awareness campaign calls upon men to join the fight against domestic violence

For decades, women have been doing the heavy lifting to prevent domestic violence. The

Women’s Center of Greater Danbury’s new awareness campaign calls upon men to strike a pose and join the fight. The “I Stand With You” awareness campaign is part of the Women’s Center Men’s Initiative. The agency is involving men of all ages as allies in their work to promote respect and equality and to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

“I Stand With You” consists of posters displaying photos of local men who have taken a stand to end the violence. Each photo is captioned with the words, “I stand with you to end violence against women and children,” and the individual’s name, occupation and town of residence. Their goal is to have an exhibit that, by reflecting the diversity of their service area (Northern Fairfield and Southern Litchfield counties), clearly communicates intolerance for interpersonal violence. “Taking a stand” involves multiple levels of intervention that promote respect and equality; simply lending a voice by being part of this photo campaign, for instance, is a strong statement.

“The campaign is based on the fact that most men are not violent; the more visible this message becomes, the less acceptable interpersonal violence will be,” said the Women’s Center’s director of community education, Melanie Danyliw.

“I Stand With You” will be a traveling exhibit that will be used during domestic violence and sexual assault awareness months, at Women’s Center events and in schools and places of employment throughout the year. Eventually, the exhibit will also be available online at the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury’s website, where it will continue to grow as men in the community submit their own photos and lend more and more voices to ending the abuse.

“We are looking for men of all ages and backgrounds, representing all cultures in our area, to be part of this exhibit, which will travel throughout our service area – men saying “We stand with you to end domestic violence and sexual assault, ” explained Danyliw, adding, “Men of strength confronting men who perpetrate domestic violence and sexual assault will cause social change.”

To have a picture taken for the exhibit, or to learn more about the program, please contact the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury Men’s Initiative coordinator, Kyle Pinto, at (203) 731-5200, extension 215.