I know it’s time we talked. The trouble is, I don’t know exactly what to say. But let’s try this:
In the month since the Bondi attacks, and the killing in Forbes, Australia’s been convulsed by debate about how to better prevent male violence against women and children.
As every Echo reader has witnessed, people are taking to the streets, media coverage is in overdrive, governments have convened crisis meetings.
The NSW government plans to tighten bail and remand rules, while the feds are throwing more money at helping people leave abusive relationships. There’s even moves to target Big Tech.
The budget will likely take domestic violence from the spotlight this week, but it’ll be back.
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics estimates over 40,000 people in NSW suffered at least one episode of physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner or family member in the past year.
The number who experienced any form of violence is ‘substantially larger’, as the figures don’t include emotional or financial abuse, or those threatened.
These crimes are signs of deep national crisis. They demand better protection of victims now and prevention of male violence in the future.
If there’s a silver lining here, it’s the elevation of the tireless work of activists, advocates and bureaucrats investigating the complex causes, and forging effective solutions.
Toxic masculinity
Respect Victoria and Jesuit Social Services recently published results of a national survey of 3,500 men, aged between 18 and 45.
The survey presented men with a series of statements describing a conventional view of masculinity.
The statements included: ‘Guys should act strong even if they feel scared or nervous inside’; ‘Men should really be the ones to bring money home to provide for their families, not women’; ‘A man shouldn’t have to do household chores’; and, ‘Men should use violence to get respect if necessary.’
The study found a staggering 37 per cent of young Australian men aged 18 to 30 felt social pressure to conform to this set of rigid, old-fashioned, and harmful ‘rules’ about masculinity. More alarming, 26 per cent of these men agreed with these rules.
It also found men who most strongly agreed with these rules were much more likely to report having used violence in their intimate relationships, perpetrated bullying and sexual harassment, and viewed violent pornography at least once a week.
The group ‘It’s Time We Talked’ focuses on the harmful impacts of pornography on children, how it reinforces stereotypes, and how it can drive violence towards women.
Statistics from its website suggest half of all boys have now seen porn by the age of 13, a third of scenes in popular porn contain non-consensual behaviour – including such extreme violence as strangulation – and boys are viewing porn far more often than girls.
Toxic tech
Pornography obviously pre-dates Big Tech, but porn websites are now among the most popular in the world, and access to porn via social media is simple.
Almost 10 per cent of children have reportedly seen pornography before the age of 10.
As advocates Jess Hill and Michael Salter point out, there’s been an alarming rise in recent years of young people as perpetrators of violence.
While child sexual abuse at the hands of adults has decreased over decades, abuse by known adolescents has increased in the last few years. ‘Now, the most common sexual offender against children is another child,’ they write.
One move announced by the federal government following its crisis meeting was the introduction of a pilot project to force tech companies to verify the age of users before accessing certain sites.
The idea’s appealing, but as you might guess, extremely complex.
The government’s also moving to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography and launch a new parliamentary inquiry – all part of wider moves to regulate tech companies, described by pollster Peter Lewis as ‘the most powerful and dangerous corporations on earth.’
There is positive action on many fronts. Advocates are promoting ‘healthier masculinities’ across workplaces, sports clubs, and schools. ‘It’s Time We Talked’ offers many resources. The National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, 2022-2032 will likely be strengthened.
In a paper released last month, Jess Hill and Michael Salter argue the national plan needs a fundamental shift overall, focussing prevention more on those at high risk of offending, and going after dangerous corporations.
If Australia can successfully take on Big Tobacco, they argue, it can also target industries profiting from violence against women, including pornography and technology.
One in four Australian men may still subscribe to a toxic masculinity, but the other three don’t. Perhaps we should talk more often.
♦ Ray Moynihan is an Assistant professor at Bond University, currently researching social media at the University of Sydney.
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