COLUMBUS, Ohio -- "Boys will be boys."

"Nice guys finish last."

And "Man-up" are just some of the expressions that men may be told throughout their lifetime.

While they may seem harmless, research shows such stereotypes can actually support violence.

Glenn Harris is the coordinator of the Engaging Men program at the Ohio Men's Action Network (OHMAN) which works with men and boys on violence prevention. He explains hyper-masculine attitudes and behaviors lessen the value of women, and contribute to the idea that men must be strong and in control.

"Getting to some root attitudes and beliefs that start very early age and are often perpetuated through various social constructs -- whether it be athletics, whether it be certain male fraternal structures and different things of that nature that continually feed to this notion of what being a man is," Harris states.

OHMAN's workshop, The New Playbook: Standing Strong to Promote Non-Violence, helps men construct positive masculinity, and learn about bystander intervention, leadership and community organizing, so they can influence others about non-violent and respectful relationships.

Harris says popular culture can also perpetuate violence, and offers the example of the slang term "wife beater," which is used to describe a sleeveless, white undershirt.

"Men often walk around with a certain sign of strength when they have that shirt on," he points out. "How do we eradicate that from the vocabulary? Out on the football field, in the classroom, out on the recess? How do we start to remove language and some of the things that can dishonor boys and girls to be predisposed to violence?"

Harris adds the COVID-19 pandemic has forced his group to get creative with technology, and workshops are currently being transitioned to an online space. But there is a silver lining.

"Which opens up the door to more men, because now I don't have to commit to an eight-hour workshop," he states. "I can now take modules at my own leisure. In addition have an opportunity to self-reflect as I go through these modules and not immediately going on to the next topic, so-to-speak."

Harris notes the network is also working within the LGBTQ community and other minority populations that are often disproportionately victims of some of the violence.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Anyone can become a victim of sexual violence, and work is underway in Ohio to ensure that men feel welcome in the anti-violence movement.

As the Engaging Men Coordinator at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Jayvon Howard said he focuses on assisting male survivors of sexual violence and getting more men involved in prevention work.

He explained that sexual-violence prevention work is historically rooted in combating patriarchal ideas and thus isolating men from the movement

"We have this anti-violence space to get away from violence perpetuated by men," said Howard. "But then this space also needs to include men. It creates tension in the movement and it illuminates a lot of the pain and fears that we have toward men that prevent us from fully accepting male survivors."

Howard said something as simple as female-centered language can discourage a male survivor from coming forward. He noted that understanding these challenges is a new conversation, and advocates are examining how to shape services to specifically target the male needs and experiences.

Howard said the shock, withdrawal and denial experienced by survivors looks very different among men, and is often expressed through gender stereotypes such as strength, aggression or impassiveness.

"Toxic masculinity can complicate our ability to address these issues head-on with accountability and healing at the same time," said Howard. "So like an expression of trauma for men could be leaning more heavily into protecting this identity that might be exhibitive of an unhealthy masculinity. "

One in six men is a survivor of sexual assault, and one of every fifty-three boys is sexually assaulted before age 18. Howard said it's crucial that they aren't shut out of violence-prevention and response services.

"Sexual violence is not normal, it happens more commonly than we are all aware of, and it does happen to men," said Howard. "At the end of the day our movement is about support and care and compassion being extended to everyone. That is what this movement requires for us to be successful."

The Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday. National violence-prevention expert Tony Porter will give a keynote address about engaging men and boys in the anti-sexual violence movement.

Learn more at oaesv.org.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - More money soon will be available to help survivors of domestic abuse in Ohio.

State lawmakers earmarked $7.5 million for domestic-violence prevention programs in the 2022-23 budget, a significant boost from the $2 million for these services in the 2020 budget.

As more survivors seek safety, said Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, the funding is needed desperately.

"Honestly, the kind of requests for help were dire," she said. "People were experiencing more severe abuse; the pandemic made it harder for survivors and their children to go in to our shelters. So, this funding is coming at a time of great need and is greatly appreciated."

Programs will receive $5 million this year and $2.5 million next year. Applications for the funding soon will be released by the Attorney General's office.

In fiscal year 2020, 109 Ohioans died in cases of domestic violence, a 35% increase over 2019.

Ohio provided state budget funding for domestic-violence-related services for the first time in 2019, starting with $1 million. O'Doherty said that was pretty low compared with other states in the region.

"Ohio was not providing the support for domestic-violence services in a way that was comparable to West Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky or Pennsylvania," she said.

Collectively, O'Doherty added, domestic-violence programs in Ohio lost more than $7.7 million in federal funding this year, and have seen budget reductions of 40% over the past two years.

"These state legislators really stepped up for domestic-violence survivors and for the shelters in their communities," she said, "but at the end of the day, our programs are going to use new funding to fill gaps that were created by federal funding cuts that have occurred over the last few years."

In 2020, about 111,000 survivors were served by Ohio's 75 local domestic-violence programs.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bill under consideration in the Ohio Legislature would ensure relationship status doesn't limit a sexual assault victim's ability to speak out against their abuser.

Under current law, certain sex crimes exempt people who commit sexual violence against their spouses, even though the same actions outside a marriage would be considered a crime.

Rosa Beltré, executive director of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, said no one should assume spousal rape is within the bounds of socially acceptable behavior.

"'Your body is mine, and I own you as a property,' is the message that we're actually sending survivors," Beltré contended. "And I cannot believe that it's this century and that we're still dealing with that. Marital rape is real, and it does exist."

It's estimated up to one in 10 sexual assaults occur within marriage, a statistic that rises to nearly seven in 10 if domestic violence is already present in the relationship.

House Bill 121 is currently in the House Criminal Justice Committee. Opposing testimony has not yet been heard.

Beltré noted the typical counterargument against removing spousal exemptions is that it would allow a person to make false accusations against their spouse. She pointed out that less than 3% of sexual abuse allegations are false.

"Eliminating that victim-blaming mentality is so crucial," Beltré asserted. "This is not a mechanism for retaliation, and this is not about unwanted sexual contact from their partner."

Beltré added Ohio is one of only 12 states that does not distinguish between married and unmarried victims of sexual violence.

"It sends survivors a message that what is happening to them is not a crime and that it's legal," Beltré stressed. "And then, survivors have trouble identifying that they have experienced sexual violence. It's time for Ohioans to start believing survivors."