News Flash!

SPOILED on Screen 

Spoiled2.mp4.Still.Scene 1

 A video of SPOILED will be shown TONIGHT – Friday, March 6 – in New York at the International Conference on Masculinities. We are thrilled to be a part of this large gathering of social scientists, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and activists, all working together to enhance gender justice.

Conference-on-Men-and-Masculinities-in-NYC

Here’s some of the info from our program to put the performance in context.

Violence, Masculinity, and the Making of SPOILED

All the stories in SPOILED are based on recent incidents in India and the USA. Two girls, living in a home with no toilet, were raped and hung up in Badaun after going outside at night. A young man in Santa Barbara shot six people, citing, among other things, his rejection by girls. A woman in the US military was repeatedly assaulted by a fellow officer. An Indian girl, judged a little too brazen for her gender and caste, had her face slashed. A Danish woman was raped near the Delhi train station.

Scott Osborne moved to India in 2011 and was struck by the gender disparities and prevalence of violence against women throughout the country. Seeking to bring greater attention to this issue, she worked with girls and continued to research the topic. This quickly led her beyond direct work with women and girls to an interest in the gender construct of men and boys. A chance meeting in 2013 with Elizabeth Hess, actor and playwright, kicked off the inspired collaboration that would ultimately become SPOILED. Together they realized the value that a dramatic performance could bring to this complex topic.

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Some facts:

  • In the USA, 98% of rapists will never spend a day in jail. (www.rainn.org).
  • In rural Bangladesh, 57% of the population has either perpetrated or been the victim of partner violence. (Why Do Some Men Use Violence, 29)
  • Fifty-nine percent of men in Mexico see nothing wrong with a girl under 18 working as a sex worker. (Evolving Men, 53)
  • Forty-one percent of women in Rwanda report experiencing intimate partner violence. (Evolving Men, 43)
  • In Sri Lanka, 96% of male perpetrators of violence experience no legal consequences. (Why Do Some Men Use Violence, 45)
  • In 2012, 26,000 American men and women were sexually assaulted by their own countrymen.(DOD FY 2013, Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military)
  • In many countries in Asia, half of all rapists first perpetrated rape as teenagers. (Why So Some Men Use Violence, 39)
  • In the USA, a fifth of all sexual assaults will be committed by juveniles. (www.rainn.org)
  • Common reasons men rape? ‘Sexual entitlement,’ or ‘fun;’ the men and boys are ’bored.’ (Why Do Some Men Use Violence, 44)

Who is raising these boys? And aren’t we all responsible for producing such harmful attitudes?

The root causes of this sexual violence are complex but need not be permanent. Childhood experiences, especially abuse and neglect or witnessing the abuse of women, are powerfully tied to later perpetration of sexual violence. Alcohol abuse, especially binge drinking, is closely associated with sexual violence. Men who hold attitudes of male privilege and entitlement, and men who pay for sex, are consistently more likely to perpetrate rape. Cultures with few legal repercussions for intimate partner violence invite its continuation. But it is possible to remedy all of these risk factors. Focus on attitudes and entitlement. Set a nonviolent life course as early as possible. Bring alcohol use into the conversation. Include school-based programs. Involve men and boys in the discussion.

We are in debt to many organizations working to change the root causes of these unhealthy behaviors, as well as to the parents and teachers who encourage and model healthy gender roles every day.

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Research includes:

Evaluation Study: Working with Men and Boys on Prevention of GBV (Rozan, 2012)

Evolving Men: International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES)

(Coordinated by the International Center for Research on Women and Instituto Promundo, 2011)

Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties (US Department of Justice 2009)

The Making of Sexual Violence: How Does a Boy Grow Up to Commit Rape? (IMAGES)

National Crime Victimization Survey: 2008-2012 (US Department of Justice)

Uniform Crime Reports (FBI 2006-2010)     DOD FY 2013, Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military

Why Do Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How Can We Prevent It? Quantitative Findings from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific (Partners for Prevention, 2013) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to the many people who helped us with these stories, and especially to Madhumita Das of ICRW, Rajesh Batra of Alpha Montessori, and Harish Sadani of MAVA, who gave so freely of their time and expertise.