VIOLENCEAGAINST
      WOMEN:
     
     
      The
      Argus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      Thursday,
      November
      1
      4th
      Ken
      Hancock
      held
      2
     
     
      seminars
      on
      the
      topic
      of
      ‘‘Men
      Against
      Male
      Vio-
     
     
      lence’’.
      Hancock,
      an
      ex-NHL
      player
      for
      the
      Chicago
     
     
      BlackHawks
      does
      not
      physically
      look
      like
      a
      ‘‘typical’’
     
     
      advocate
      for
      women’s
      rights.
      It
      was,
      however,
      during
     
     
      his
      time
      as
      a
      hockey
      player
      that
      Hancock
      began
      to
      feel
     
     
      ashamed
      of
      the
      violence
      he
      and
      his
      fellow
      team
      mates
     
     
      were
      causing.
      He
      came
      to
      the
      realization
      that
      no
     
    
   
   
    
     
      person
      has
      the
      right
      to
      touch
      another
      ina
      violent
     
     
      manner.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      opened
      the
      discussion
      by
      describing
      the
      work
     
     
      of
      Men
      Against
      Male
      Violence.
      Groups
      of
      men
      will
     
     
      participate
      in
      6
      walks
      across
      Ontario
      beginning
      in
      the
     
     
      Spring
      of
      1992.
      They
      are
      hoping
      to
      raise
      public
     
     
      awareness
      as
      well
      as
      encourage
      men
      across
      the
      prov-
     
     
      ince
      to
      speak
      out
      against
      violence.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mr.
      Hancock
      then
      shifted
      the
      focus
      of
      the
      seminar.
     
     
      He
      stated
      that
      male
      culture
      worships
      war,
      and
      feels
     
     
      that
      the
      maiming
      and
      killing
      of
      Iraq
      women
      and
     
     
      children
      was
      seen
      asa
      victory.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      failed,
      however,
      to
      state
      his
      group’s
      views
     
     
      on
      female
      participation
      in
      the
      Gulf
      War,
      a
      step
      which
     
     
      some
      women
      feel
      is
      a
      forward
      move
      on
      the
      issue
      of
     
     
      women
      ’srights.
      When
      questioned
      about
      this
      later,
     
     
      Hancock
      stated
      that
      war
      is
      still
      a
      male-dominated
     
     
      phenomenon
      and
      that
      women
      were
      merely
      exercising
     
     
      their
      rights,
      not
      sensationalizing
      the
      actual
      war
      itself.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      homefront
      the
      violence
      is
      more
      personal.
     
     
      After
      T.V.
      football
      games,
      the
      phones
      at
      rape/assault
     
     
      crisis
      centres
      across
      the
      nation
      light
      up
      as
      men
      vent
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      anger
      not
      on
      the
      losing
      team,
      but
      on
      their
      wives/
     
     
      girlfriends/children.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      also
      said
      a
      male
      walking
      away
      froma
      sexist
     
     
      comment/
      joke
      ora
      woman
      in
      physical
      or
      sexual
     
     
      distress
      is
      no
      different
      from
      the
      man
      that
      turned
      and
     
     
      left
      the
      room
      as
      14
      women
      were
      murdered
      in
      Mon-
     
     
      treal.
      Apathy,
      of
      course,
      was
      not
      an
      issue
      in
      this
     
     
      case.
      One
      male
      student
      who
      was
      forced
      out
      by
      gun
     
    
   
   
    
     
      point
      by
      the
      murderer
      committed
      suicide
      one
      year
     
     
      after
      the
      massacre.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      feels
      that
      some
      men
      don’t
      find
      it
      worth
      it
      to
     
     
      fight
      for
      women’s
      equality
      with
      respect
      to
      ‘‘minor’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      incidents
      such
      as
      sexist
      jokes
      and
      harassing
      behav-
     
     
      iour.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      also
      noted
      that
      men
      tend
      to
      ‘‘talk
      away
      life’’.A
     
     
      NATO
      base
      in
      the
      north
      was
      completely
      shut
      down
      by
     
     
      Inuit
      women
      protesting
      on
      the
      runway
      against
      missile
     
     
      testing;
      they
      were
      tired
      of
      waiting
      for
      men
      to
      stop
     
     
      talking
      and
      begin
      taking
      action.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      finished
      the
      seminar
      by
      giving
      some
      alarm-
     
     
      ing
      facts.
      Women
      are
      the
      poorest
      people
      in
      society.
     
     
      Some
      men
      consider
      violence
      against
      women,
      children
     
     
      and
      minorities
      are
      profound
      power.
      Canada
      led
      the
     
     
      world
      in
      arms
      supplies
      to
      the
      United
      States
      during
     
     
      Vietnam,
      including
      the
      making
      of
      napalm
      in
      Toronto.
     
     
      Some
      crisis
      shelters
      are
      built
      like
      fortresses
      to
      protect
     
     
      the
      women
      and
      children
      inside.
      Crisis
      centre
      workers
     
     
      are
      constantly
      confronted
      with
      shotguns
      by
      men
     
     
      looking
      for
      their
      wives
      or
      girlfriends.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hancock
      has
      been
      jailed
      60
      times
      due
      to
      his
      support
     
     
      of
      causes
      ranging
      from
      ending
      the
      Vietnam
      war
      to
     
     
      Native
      rights.
      It
      was
      during
      these
      stays
      on
      jail
      where
     
     
      Hancock
      found
      most
      of
      his
      courage
      from
      women.
     
     
      Hancock
      closed
      his
      speech
      by
      saying
      that
      this
      vio-
     
     
      lence
      is
      nota
      women’s
      issue:
      men
      are
      the
      cause
      of
     
     
      this
      violence,
      it;s
      their
      issue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      crowd
      was
      left
      with
      this
      last
      thought:
      ‘‘The
      final
     
     
      role
      call
      is
      the
      role
      call
      of
      justice’’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      30,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      18