Wales: Do you think you're a real man?

Amnesty International Wales and the British Association of Social Workers (Wales) are challenging 'real men' from all over Wales to get involved in the campaign to Stop Violence Against Women. The two organisations will host a ground-breaking conference, 'Involving Men', featuring internationally renowned guest speakers such as Michael Kaufman, creator of the White Ribbon Campaign in Canada and Monira Rahman, from the Acid Survivors Foundation, Bangladesh. The conference will be at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on April 5th and places are expected to fill quickly.
Eleanor White, Programme Director, Amnesty International Wales said: 'This is a first for Wales and we hope that it will be the start of a change in attitudes. Amnesty conducted research that showed that many men, particularly in the 16 - 35 age group, hate the idea of violence against women but feel powerless to stop it. The conference is going to form a Charter for Action that can inform future policy and practice in this area across different sectors and in every community. We also want to show the rest of the world that there are many men in Wales who are prepared to stand up and say that they will not tolerate violence against women in any shape or form.'

Despite decades of campaigns against violence against women, the statistics are still shocking. Two people in England and Wales are killed each week by a partner or former partner and as many as one third of all women will suffer from violence at some point in their lives. Amnesty International Wales and the British Association of Social Workers (Wales) believe that lasting change can only occur if both men and women are involved in stopping violence against women.

Penny Lloyd of the British Association of Social Workers in Wales said: 'We expect that this conference will be of interest to men from all walks of life, not only social workers and health professionals, but all those who influence change in their field; trade unionists, teachers, police, magistrates and judges, politicians, human resources staff and people working in media, culture and sport. We are also keen to hear from men who live within a culture of violence and want to make changes themselves.'