WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international men's march to stop rape, sexual assault, and gender violence. It is an opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community concerning the causes and effects of sexual violence. During the past ten years, thousands of men from across the United States have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support local rape crisis services and domestic violence shelters.
There is an old saying, "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Walk a Mile in Her Shoes asks men to literally walk a mile in women's high heeled shoes. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it's fun, and it gets the community talking about a difficult topic: sexual violence and gender relations.
A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event is abundant with opportunities to get people talking. For preventive education, it helps men better understand and appreciate women's experiences. It informs the community that services are available for recovery. And it demonstrates that men are willing and able to become willing partners with women in making the world a safer place.
Sexual violence does not only affect women. It affects their families and friends, their friends and co-workers, their communities, and the men who care about them. Since one in six American women is a victim of sexual violence, it is likely that everyone knows or cares about someone who has experienced a sexual assault.
To read the opening prayer for the 2011 Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, click on the following link:
HIC Walk a Mile Prayer 2011.pdf
(Click on the links at the top of this page to view photos and publicity)
(the above information was obtained from the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes website:
http://walkamileinhershoes.org/
