We need to say this more often, and we need to say it without apology: men have a duty to be safe around women and children.
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Do not cross boundaries.
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Do not interrogate or mock the reasons women and children set boundaries in the first place.
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Do not lie about statistics or twist studies to erase women’s experiences.
Instead:
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Show up to defend women.
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Build safe spaces for women and children.
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Tell men and older boys clearly: we expect you to conduct yourselves in ways that are safe.
Safety is not optional. Respect is not negotiable. Boundaries are not up for debate.
We are long past the time of pretending this is a gray area. A society that laughs at women’s boundaries, ridicules their safety needs, or excuses men’s violence is a society that keeps the door wide open to abuse.
At We Survive Abuse, we will keep affirming this truth until it is lived: Women and children deserve safety. And men have a duty to provide it—not threaten it.
We need more people on their feet calling out the violence that has been created for a very long time in the US.