All men must help end sexual abuse

Re Women won’t be silenced, Editorial, Dec. 28 Your editorial states “women should not turn down the volume on their protests about sexual assault.”

No, indeed, they must not. But men also must be part of the solution. Men of good will need to examine their own behaviour and be aware when they or other men start to speak or behave inappropriately, and not ignore sexist comments, jokes or aggressive behaviour.

It’s too easy to let bad stuff slide past us, to ignore it or snigger, but real men take the risk to speak quietly, or sharply if necessary, to let offenders know that demeaning others isn’t funny. Marginalizing a less-powerful woman isn’t acceptable. Most often, what’s needed is a firm reminder from another man.

The culture is changing, but women can’t do it alone and shouldn’t be asked to. Women need allies. Douglas Buck, Toronto In your editorial, you state: “Sexual assaults and harassment of women would not be so common in the workplace if more women occupied positions of power . . . But here we are in 2017 and the dial on women’s participation on boards of directors, never mind in executive positions, has barely budged.”

Have you looked at the top of your own editorial page? Seven men in positions of power and three women. This has been bugging me for some time. Actions speak louder than words. Look at your record and do something about that before chastising others. Winnie Quinn, Etobicoke