“Time’s Up” for Men’s Violence Against Women: The MVP Program

“Time’s Up” for Men’s Violence Against Women: The MVP Program

Ron Slaby, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board
The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment
&
Senior Scientist
Center on Media and Child Health
Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School
ronslaby@gmail.com

How can we prevent men’s violence against women? Especially in the era of the “#Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements, we need programs that can prepare our youth to become leaders in preventing men’s violence against women and other gender-related forms of violence. Dr. Ron Slaby recently revealed several “secret ingredients” that make the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) an original, highly effective, and paradigmatic model for intervention programs addressing this issue.

In an invited presentation to the 25th Annual International Congress on Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect in Bogota, Colombia, Dr. Slaby recently described the MVP program he co-developed with Jackson Katz and Northeastern University’s Center for Sport in Society. First, he recounted the wide variety of previous recipients of MVP training— including the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines; sports teams in the NFL, MLB, and World Cup; programs in Australia, Scotland, Sweden, the Dominican Republic; and sports teams and campus leadership organizations in more than 150 universities and scores of high schools. Next, he described a current initiative in which 600 well-trained student leaders in 28 high schools throughout Massachusetts deliver the Game Change/MVP Program to parents, teachers, athletic coaches, counselors, and other high school and middle school students. The current program—co-funded by the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and the MA Attorney General’s Office—uses sports-themed activities, bystander intervention strategies, and realistic scenarios to prepare participants to help prevent all forms of gender-related violence, with an emphasis on preventing men’s violence against women.

Finally, Dr. Slaby revealed several “secret ingredients” of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program that have led to its effectiveness, versatility, and seminal role in helping to prevent men’s violence against women:

• Focus specifically on men’s violence toward women, and all forms of gender-related violence. When programs address violence in generic terms as involving perpetrators and victims, they fail to prepare young people to understand and develop their specific gender-related roles and responsibilities in helping to prevent the vast amount of violence that is based on gender.
• Put everyone in a bystander role. When both men and women address this issue from the perspective of bystanders, it frees men from feeling accused as potential perpetrators, and women from feeling disempowered as potential victims. It also frees everyone to: (a) view violent situations more objectively from a third-party perspective; (b) realize that when bystanders do nothing, they become complicit in allowing violence to occur; (c) think through the variety of ways that bystanders can help to prevent violence; (d) prepare themselves with the best ways to become active and helpful bystanders; and (e) understand that the social norms regarding gender-related violence are changing as others ready themselves to stand up against all forms of violence.
• Apply sports-themed metaphors and concepts. Sports-themed concepts work well in preparing women and especially men to become bystanders who help to prevent violence—concepts such as developing individual skills, working with teammates, and developing a playbook of personal pre-planned plays.
• Use skilled, well-prepared, and respected presenters. Both male and female presenters need to be well-prepared to deal with the many complexities and sensitivities of this topic, and well-respected for their authentic connection to the recipients. Some of the most effective MVP presenters have been professional or award-winning athletes, experienced military personnel, or well-respected student leaders who delivered the program to their teachers, parents, coaches, and fellow students.
• Address specific, likely, and culturally relevant scenarios. A key ingredient is for each group of recipients to address specific, likely, and culturally relevant scenarios of men’s violence against women and to prepare their most effective and practical bystander responses. Before training occurs, typical scenarios are developed and tailored to be most relevant for each type of group.

While the “#Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements have sharply focused our nation’s attention on the problems and consequences of men’s violence against women, preventive programs such as MVP focus on preparing current and future generations to play a direct role in reducing gender-related violence.