Safe Haven hosts Voices of Men

The Safe Haven Domestic Abuse Shelter hosted a presentation Wednesday of Voices of Men, a program aimed at encouraging men to help address the issues of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Shannon Kenevan, a community engagement leader with Fox Valley Voices of Men, said one of the biggest misconceptions about those social problems is that they are solely women’s issues.

“That’s just how society defines them,” he said. “When men think of it as women’s issues, we don’t get engaged. We think we can just go on and do other things because the women will do that, and traditionally the women have done all the work on domestic violence and sexual assault prevention.”

Kenevan said those problems need to be re-framed as human issues.

“They’re issues that we all have to be working on,” he said.

Ninety percent of the perpetrators in sexual assault and abuse cases are men, Kenevan said.

“Men should be a part of the movement against sexual assault,” he said. “We need men speaking up and taking action, teaching our boys differently so they don’t become perpetrators when they’re older.”

About 20 people attended Wednesday’s presentation at City Hall.

“I think it was a good turnout,” Safe Haven Executive Director Stacey Cicero said. “It was a great opportunity for the men at the table to learn about sexual assault and domestic violence and ways that they can help through education and creating awareness.

Cicero said a Shawano chapter of Voices of Men has been started.

“We have a Voices of Men committee that’s kind of in its fledgling stages, so we’re looking for more participation from men in the community to join the movement, for lack of a better word; to join us and attend the committee meetings and move the group forward,” Cicero said.

Kenevan said the first step is getting men educated on the issues and learning their root causes, which are often based in behaviors that perpetuate assault and violence.

“We can either help or hurt in our community with just the words we choose and how we live our life,” he said. “So learning ourselves is the first thing.”

The second step is taking action, he said, which could include volunteerism at places like Safe Haven, taking the message to schools, youth groups and businesses, or “just speaking up,” Kenevan said.

The program was one of a number of events Safe Haven is involved in this month as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.