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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 17 ,2 02 1 | 30 News Media Canada Médias d'Info Canada Google and Facebook are using their power to scoop up 80% of online revenue generated by hardworking journalists and publishers across Canada. Other governments are standing up to the web giants and protecting local news in their countries. Parliament needs to act on their commitment to protect the future of your local news. Learn more at eld.calevellingthedigitalplayingfi Want to be less informed? Let Google and Facebook have their way. Get the Toronto Star weekend home delivery for just $399* AWEEK FOR12 MONTHS YOU'LL GET: • Saturday and Sunday home delivery • Starweek Magazine print edition • Complimentary 7-day ePaper edition • Complimentary 7-day access to thestar.com website *Plus HST. This introductory offer is not available to existing Toronto Star subscribers. Save 46% off the newsstand rate for Saturday and Sunday delivery. This offer includes Starweek Magazine. The New York Times International Weekly or Book Review sections are not included. This offer is for a 12-month term and includes complimentary access to thestar.com and the Toronto Star ePaper edition. Complimentary access is available to Toronto Star home-delivery subscribers with an active account in good standing. If you choose to cancel your print account, or your subscription is in arrears, your access to thestar.com and the ePaper edition will be discontinued. The Toronto Star reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time. Toronto Star delivery will continue after the 12-month introductory period at the regular home-delivery rate then in effect. This offer is a fixed subscription term. If you cancel prior to the end of the term, you will be charged an early cancellation fee equal to amounts otherwise payable for the remainder of the term, plus applicable taxes. The cancellation fee will be charged using the billing method we have on file at the time of cancellation. Please contact customer service at 416-367-4500 to get the regular rate for your area. Payment must be made by credit card only. Credit card payments will be billed monthly. View our subscriber agreement terms at www.thestar.com/ agreement. Toronto Star is committed to protecting your personal information. View our privacy policy at www.thestar.com/privacy. Offer expires July 31, 2021. SAVE 46 % OFFTHE NEWSSTAND RATE SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: tsoffers.ca/deal/comm OR CALL: 416-367-4500 and quote code 2DAYSAVE for weekend home delivery for 12 months Twelve years ago, Hal- ton Women's Place created an event where men walk in heels to engage boys and men around the issue of vi- olence against women and their crucial role in preven- tion. That was our first step in male engagement and a rel- atively new phenomenon at the time for the violence against women sector. This event was Hope in High Heels. Today we are proud of our decision to include boys and men in our missi- on to eliminate domestic vi- olence. Beyond our walk event, we have heard from men across the region who want to be male allies for Halton Women's Place and help raise awareness about the issue in their communi- ty. It's an issue in which their daughters, nieces, friends and family mem- bers may become victims, and their sons, nephews, friends or family may be- come perpetrators. We know that boys and men have the power to end gender-based violence. This will occur through ed- ucation, challenging con- versations and placing re- sponsibility for changing behaviour back with boys and men. For boys, we know it may be more helpful to learn this role from anoth- er male influence. This is one reason why Halton Women's Place employs a male educator through our Public Education and Vio- lence Prevention Program. In April we welcomed a new male public educator, Husayn, to the role to facil- itate these discussions and reach this audience as well as host our male Engage- ment program within the schools. It is important for boys to know that they have choices if they are current- ly living in a home where violence is present. They do not have to follow this same pattern. We must teach our youth how to stand up against the violence or mi- sogyny they might witness. It is also an important message for men. Men have a responsibility to call out inappropriate jokes and conversations about girls and women. It is only with their advocacy and energy that we can make big soci- etal shifts in the prevention and elimination of violence against women. More men in our com- munity need to be a part of this conversation -- a part of this solution. It goes above and beyond our Sep- tember Hope in High Heel walks. We are looking for deep conversations and fol- low up actions on how boys and men can create a com- munity of safety within Halton. As Father's Day ap- proaches, the most impor- tant role that the men and fathers in our community can play is to actively ex- plore their own influence on ending the issue of vio- lence against women. One concrete action step you can to take this month is: every time you hear of an incident of violence within a family, rather than asking why a woman chooses to stay, ask why was he abu- sive? What in our society al- lowed him to feel that hold- ing power over his partner was appropriate or OK? For more information on our Public Education and Engagement pro- grams, visit haltonwomen- splace.com/public-educa- tion/ Laurie Hepburn is the executive director at Hal- ton Women's Place. She can be reached at Lhep- burn@haltonwomen- splace.com. AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Hope in High Heels has become an important tool in the fight to end violence against women. Metroland file photo OPINION MORE WORK NEEDED TO ELIMINATE THIS TERRIBLE PROBLEM, WRITES LAURIE HEPBURN LAURIE HEPBURN Column SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code for more local opinions.