Jerry Rivera Asks Men to Speak Out to Stop Violence against Women
Bogotá, Colombia, 25 November 2011 (PAHO/WHO) — In a new public service
announcement (PSA) launched today by the Pan American Health Organization/World
Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), salsa and pop singer Jerry Rivera calls on men
to openly denounce violence against women, a public health problem that affects
more than half of women in some Latin American countries.
Rivera’s message is being launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Nov. 25. It is intended to counter sexist attitudes that equate masculinity with the
use of violence and dominance over women. The singer urges men to speak out openly and express their opposition to such violence.
“As men, husbands, partners,
fathers, brothers and friends, we can prevent violence against women. It is our
responsibility,” Rivera says in the PSA. “Talk to each other, share
this message. Yes, we can change. Let’s unite to end violence against
women.”
The new PSA is Rivera’s second such
collaboration with PAHO/WHO since 2006, when he was named a Champion of Health
in the Americas
by the Organization. Both collaborations form part of the Unite to Stop
Violence against Women campaign launched by United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon in 2008.
Violence against women is a major public
health problem throughout the world. In Latin America and the Caribbean,
between 13 percent and over 50 percent of women report having suffered violence
at the hands of an intimate partner, according to a PAHO/WHO study scheduled
for release early next year. Between 10 percent and 27 percent say they have
been victims of sexual violence at the hands of a partner or stranger,
according to the same study.
Experts note that violence against women can have lethal
consequences, including homicide, suicide, HIV infection, and higher risk of
maternal mortality. Nonlethal consequences include injuries, chronic pain,
depression and other mental disorders, high-risk sexual conduct, alcohol and
drug abuse, HIV and other sexual infections, unplanned pregnancies, and unsafe
abortions.
Children also suffer as a result of violence against women, both
directly as co-victims and indirectly as witnesses, and they are at greater
risk of becoming perpetuators of similar violence as adults. Other risk factors
for being a perpetrator include low education, harmful use of alcohol, and
attitudes that are accepting of violence and gender inequality. Most of these
are also risk factors for becoming a victim of intimate partner or sexual
violence.
Experts say it is important to involve men positively and
proactively in preventing violence against women. The “Unite”
campaign includes a Network of Men Leaders, formed by U.N. Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, that works to counter destructive stereotypes, embrace equality,
and inspire men and boys everywhere to speak out against violence.
Rivera’s concerns about violence
against women inspired the 2005 ballad Rivers
of Pain, which he wrote and recorded with his sister, Saned. While
the pair grew up together in a home free of violence, they say they know many
who are not so fortunate, and that they feel obliged to speak out to try to
prevent such violence.
"I am privileged to have been born
to a mother who took really good care of me," says Jerry Rivera. "I
have the best wife in the world, wonderful aunts, two daughters, so I am
surrounded by women. I cannot get my head around the idea of abusing a
woman."
Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization
525 Twenty-third Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037, United States of America
Tel.: +1 (202) 974-3000 Fax: +1 (202) 974-3663
