Young boys need domestic abuse education: Serena
Tennis star says men need to join conversation
NEW YORK — Serena Williams says the conversation about stopping domestic abuse shouldn’t just centre on women, but men, as well.
The tennis superstar says education about domestic abuse should start when men are young boys.
“I think expanding the conversation to men and expanding the conversation to young boys, it’s so important,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
“This is a human rights issue. We should all be treated the same. We should be treated equal. With domestic abuse, it doesn’t care what colour you are, what background you’re from,” she continued.
“It’s important to get the message out there — to our young men, to our boys, to our daughters — to let that new generation, and let the generation now know that, let’s stop this. Let’s change this. Let’s create a better us.”
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is the ambassador for the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse initiative, which aims to help stop domestic abuse and what it calls the financial abuse that can accompany such relationships.
Williams says being the mother of an infant daughter makes the issue even more important to her.
“This could be something that my daughter could face and that’s not cool,” she said at a Purple Purse event.
“I want her to know that she can always talk to me, and talk to other people. That maybe she doesn’t have a voice, maybe she can’t use her voice, but we can be her voice, we can support her in so many different ways,” Williams said.
Williams was pregnant with daughter Olympia Ohanian, who is now one year old, when she won the Australian Open in January 2017.
She returned to Grand Slam play last month at the French Open but had to withdraw after reaching the fourth round due to an injury.
Williams says she anticipates being healthy for next month’s Wimbledon tournament.
“Oh that’s a plan, absolutely, absolutely, and I’ve been working toward it,” she said.