In America, a whole new crew of famous guys are painting their nails. Well, nail. Zac Efron and sibling actors Liam and Chris Hemsworth recently shared photos of themselves with one nail painted to support the Polished Man project; an initiative that calls on men to raise awareness about the one in five children around the world who experience physical and/or sexual violence before the age of 18. Donations to Polished Man support children’s trauma recovery and prevention programs all over the world.
“One in four women in the U.S. has experienced serious physical violence by an intimate partner. Most of this violence is committed by men.” says Liz Roberts, deputy CEO of Safe Horizon, the nation’s leading victim assistance organization. Too often, these same men also abuse the children of their female victims.
We have to be their voice. The burden should not be put on children to either come forward or suffer in silence. As adults, we need to create safe spaces for kids and teens to talk openly about domestic violence so a child who may be experiencing or witnessing abuse can speak freely and get the help they desperately need. Click here for the personal story of why one man has taken the pledge and painted his nail purple this month.
If we remain silent, the insidious and rampant disease of domestic violence thrives. We all must be part of the conversation and work for a solution to end it.
At Transcendent Media Capital we are committed to raising awareness and fostering progressive dialogue in order to put an end to this issue worldwide. Our campaign, “Free Yourself” Healing Families; Ending Domestic Violence”, is the first global domestic violence campaign incorporating six media assets: social media, fully interactive web-based platform, short film, documentary, photobook and 10 music benefit concerts in 10 cities around the world.
This campaign explores the enculturation of violence through families over generations, and the question of how one, whether the abuser or the abused, interrupts the pattern of violence. More importantly, this initiative hopes to bring together all of the voices of the participants of domestic violence, including recovering abusers, victims, children, educators, support agencies and health professionals, law enforcement agencies, politicians, celebrities and social entrepreneurs who work to aid in this cause. It is in this aim that “Free Yourself” inspires us. When all stakeholders come together in a grass roots forum, we strengthen our ability to understand, address, and end the cycle of domestic abuse.