NI: Real men say no to violence against women

Amnesty will promote an event for the real men of Northern Ireland to stand up and be counted and make sure that violence against women is not marginalised as a women issue but is seen as a violation of their  human rights.

The Conference is being held in association with The NI branch of the British Association of Social Workers, and is being attended by a huge range of community groups interested in involving men in ending violence against women.

The campaign has also gained the support of a number of celebrities including Patrick Stewart and local comedian Colin Murphy who stated: "I love women! I think they're great, well most of them and it really gets me when I hear about violence against women. Look let's face facts here, real men don't hurt women, wimps do. That's why I'm backing Amnesty International's campaign."

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland Programme Director said: 'Unfortunately violence against women is all too pervasive, both within our society and worldwide. Men's role in tackling violence against women is absolutely crucial - and this means more than just stopping the perpetrators.' 'The only way to tackle this effectively is for men to work alongside women to make sure that society does not turn a blind eye.'

'We hope through these events to kick-start a process whereby people working with young men can start to address some of these attitudes.'

Amnesty International Northern Ireland are hoping that the "Real Men" Conference will kick start a region-wide campaign to end violence against women once and for all.

(1) BBC Hitting Home Research by ICM 2003