News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
People think it can’t happen here —but it does.
“The Deschutes County Sheriffs Office reports that in 2003, 68 domestic violence cases and 12 sexual assault cases were reported in the Sisters area,” says Stan Robson of Sisters Men Against Domestic Abuse.
“Those of us working with domestic violence issues know that the actual number is significantly higher because most incidents don’t get reported.”
That’s where Sisters Men Against Domestic Abuse steps in.
The group formed in April 2004 under the guidance of Robson, former Benton County Sheriff.
Robson, who recently retired to Sisters, has a wide range of experience in combating domestic abuse through law enforcement and community involvement.
Robson said that groups such as Sisters Men Against Domestic Abuse are needed to “turn it around from being a ‘women’s issue’ to being a men’s issue — which it should be.”
He noted that 90 percent of domestic abuse is committed by men. That certainly does not mean that most men are abusive — in fact, the vast majority are not. What Robson wants to see is that majority of “good men” standing up to take responsibility for preventing abuse.
“The ones who are abusive probably aren’t going to be that reachable,” he said.
But non-abusive men can act by refusing to passively accept the occurrence of abuse, by creating a culture that has no tolerance of men abusing women and by helping victims report abuse.
“One of the goals of this group is to recruit as many men as possible to join in educating themselves and support a change in tolerance of males committing violent acts,” Robson said.
“The group believes that together we can change the cultural ideas of what it means to be a ‘man;’ that being a man has nothing to do with being violent.”
Sisters Men Against Domestic Abuse is campaigning to bring Jackson Katz, a former NFL player, to Sisters this fall to help the community begin this proactive process.
According to Robson, it will take about $5,000 to bring Katz here to speak to students at Sisters schools and in a community-wide forum.
Robson said that it is particularly effective for young people to see an “NFL tough guy” who espouses the attitude that real men are not violent toward women.
“Katz is a renowned speaker on boys’ and men’s role in violence,” Robson said. “His approach is not only to educate men and get them to take responsibility for what is a men’s issue, but to also make men realize that they need to work with their sons, grandsons and nephews in trying to break the cycle of the acceptance of violence in our everyday lives.”
For more information on Sisters Men Against Domestic Abuse contact Janet Huerta of Central Oregon Battering and Rape Alliance (COBRA) at 382-9227.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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