Getting men to talk about it is the first and, dare it be said, “toughest” step.
Domestic abuse is the delicate topic of discussion; a talking point that a Richmond-based organization is challenging men to take ownership of.
As part of Chimo’s aptly-named “BC’s Toughest Men” campaign, which was launched over the Super Bowl weekend, several of the province’s perceived “hard men” are lending their voices to the issue.
Men such as Chris Davies, holder of B.C.’s Strongest Man title, BC Lions’ Solomon Elimimian, ex Canuck Ryan Walter and Richmond’s own up-and-coming MMA fighter and former Olympian wrestler Arjan Bhullar have put their collective weight behind the campaign.
“This is an opportunity to raise awareness of family violence and to highlight that this is a male issue and engage men in some sort of dialogue,” said Mark Miller, executive director of Chimo Community Services, adding that the campaign was initially about trying to raise funds for second stage housing (longer term — 18 months to two years) solutions for women fleeing family violence.
“Men have to understand that it’s them that need to be talking about it.
“This gets men talking about the issue instead of ignoring it. I feel, sometimes, they don’t want to talk about it for fear of saying the wrong thing.”
Miller said they used Super Bowl weekend to launch the campaign, as it was a time when, traditionally, men get together to celebrate.
As for the campaign’s title, Miller said Chimo wanted to “challenge the approach to toughness.”
“What does tough mean?” said Miller.
“It certainly doesn’t make it tough to be engaged in family violence.
“We don’t pretend this is going to fix the problem, but it’s a step in the right direction.
“Managing your emotions and feelings,” added Miller, is tougher than lashing out.
Men can go online to Chimo’s website and make a pledge not to be violent, said Miller, and make a donation if they want to.
The goal is to raise $100,000 for second-stage housing in Richmond for women and children escaping violent situations by March 8.
