Engaging Men: Strategies and Dilemmas in Violence Prevention Education Among Men by Dr. Michael Flood, Women Against Violence Journal (2002)

The author states that violence against women prevention efforts must address relationships between violence, social constructions of masculinity, and gendered power relations. Specifically, this paper focuses on prevention efforts among adult men, outlining "recent Australian community education campaigns directed at men and the dilemmas with which they deal." Strategies that are commonly employed when building and initiating prevention campaigns addressing men, including efforts to define manhood as non-violent, draw on masculine culture, and show men speaking out or standing together against violence are described and critiqued. This paper identifies five key challenges in violence prevention work with males, "in addition to the overarching one of both engaing with and reconstructing men and masculine culture." These challenges are to: undermine discources of sexulity, teach young men how to do consent, target masculine bonding and culture, address social diversity, and address men's victimization.

This article provides useful information to those who are interested in implementing a prevention campaign targeted at men, as its focus is on strategies and their effectiveness with male populations. Flood provides a strong argument identifying community education as a key element in violence prevention that may lead toward the profound changes in men's lives and the social construction of masculinity which are necessary to end men's violence against women.

• Engaging Men: Strategies and Dilemmas in Violence Prevention Education Among Men