Male myths hard to kill

That's why the reported sermon of Sheik Hilali is so disappointing.

All religious leaders are in a position to influence community attitudes and our research shows these negative attitudes are not confined to one religion.

Of course, for the overwhelming majority of men, the kind of behaviour perpetrated by those young thugs in Werribee is completely foreign. Most men believe that the days when the workplace was a male domain in which the denigration of women was acceptable, or the home was a place for the male to exert his dominance, are long gone.

Or so we think.

These myths still flourish, and all too often can translate into the tragic reality of violence against women.

One bright light is that the Victorian police have changed how they respond to family violence. No longer is the response "Oh it's just a domestic" since the introduction of a new code of conduct in 2004. And those surveyed acknowledge that the system is far more supportive than it used to be.

Violence against women is too serious and too common for us to just pick up the pieces after assault has occurred. We need to stop it before it starts by attacking the myths and excuses driving such actions and attitudes and invest in initiatives to prevent violence before it occurs.

For men, that means finding and supporting ways to reverse those attitudes that could one day hurt someone you love - your sister, mother, wife or daughter.

On November 25, Victorians go to the polls but it also happens to be International White Ribbon Day. It marks 16 days of action to reinforce that all men have the responsibility to oppose violence against women.

As we have seen this week, we have much more work to do to end violence against women than we might have thought.