Dhaka, Bangladesh – Dhaka, Bangladesh – A new study has found that men who have negative attitudes towards women are more likely to use violence, affecting not only the women for whom they have violated but also the children in their lives, families and the community at large.

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The study seeks to understand the factors that contribute to men’s violence and to outline some possible prevention strategies. According to the article, men who experience child abuse, in all forms, are more likely to perpetrate violence against their adult partners and also against their communities. The report takes these statistics a step further and asserts the protecting children from abuse is a necessary step in ending the cycle of violence.

What role does your agency play in promoting child welfare and creating systems of safety and support for children? Do your prevention programs support parenting initiatives as a component of your prevention efforts? What does that work look like? What resources or materials have you found to be useful in your work?

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) presents this three-part series on bystander intervention as a continuation of our support of and focus on this approach to sexual violence prevention. Join the NSVRC throughout December for a conversation with Jackson Katz, Ph.D., as he shares lessons from the PSU sexual abuse case. Read about more resources on engaging bystanders in sexual violence prevention.

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It begs the question, are those who witness an act of violence and oppression but do nothing about it, equally as complicit as those who perpetrate it?

This case in particular challenges prevention advocates in profound ways. It challenges us to train entire school systems and not just individual students about how sexual and domestic violence look and the obligation of adults in particular to put a stop to it. It challenges us to see the rage and hurt that is coming through from individuals who have been directly or indirectly affected by this case who find themselves on both sides of the fence. From the mother of the first victim to come out against Sandusky to students rioting at Penn State University because they didn’t agree with the school’s decision to fire Paterno. Finally, it challenges us, through the overwhelming criticism that Joe Paterno is facing for his unwillingness to act, to see that our communities are staunchly against child sexual abuse and see their need to put a stop to is as a moral imperative.

The larger question that we must ask ourselves is how we can rally our communities to prevent any form of violence from happing in the first place? It is too scary to stare into the face of child sexual abuse, however, this case has not allowed us to look away. It has reminded us of how we have failed as a community and how we need to do better.

How can we talk to our communities about this case? How can we impulse them to take action? How can we create mechanisms for safety and healing?