Standing up in support

Men, boys need equal education to prevent family violence, Green MLA says

About nine reports are being made to P.E.I. Child Protection Services every day, according to Green MLA Stephen Howard.

"That's nine children who may be hiding in their closets or worse tonight," he said.

Howard shared the recent statistic he obtained during a provincial legislature sitting in Charlottetown on Thursday.

In a line of questioning surrounding family violence, he advocated that the province offer more supports and education for men and boys to help prevent it.

"Family violence most often affects women and children, but it is not women's responsibility to fix this problem — it's everyone's responsibility."

He called on Natalie Jameson, minister responsible for Status of Women, to direct her department to provide more initiatives specifically for males. To drive home his point, he criticized the October decision to give out free copies of a book to all of P.E.I.'s Grade 7 students.

The book, "In Their Own Words: Prince Edward Island's Famous Five," outlines the lives of five women who held separate, influential positions in government at the same time in the early 1990s.

"A ground-breaking book about five amazing, strong and intelligent women that only our girls would learn about," Howard said.

Howard argued that by only offering the book to Grade 7 females, it sends a message to boys that they shouldn't have to care about the women's accomplishments.

"Our men need to stand up to the generational biases that hurt women," he said.

"I'm not convinced that this minister truly understands the massive societal problem of gender bias is not solely women's responsibility to fix."

Jameson was surprised by the criticism. She said giving away the books was a wonderful gesture, and at the time it was made adamantly clear that it's also available for anyone to read in public spaces such as libraries, she said.

"Any boy in this province has access to it," she said.

"(And) we can absolutely order some more."

In regard to preventing family violence, Jameson noted that the department is always looking for new programming and services.

"We are here to support families whether you're a woman or a man," she said.