LOS ANGELES, California - Thousands of men in the United States and Canada will literally walk one mile in women’s high heeled shoes to protest sexualized violence in April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Seventy eight cities (so far) this year are hosting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Walks to educate the public and raise money for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and women’s services.

“You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” says Frank Baird, Walk Founder. “So men are literally walking one mile in women’s high heeled shoes in cities all across North America.” It’s a fun and visually stunning opportunity for men to get the community talking about something that can really be difficult to talk about.

Beginning in 2001 with a single Walk in Los Angeles, CA, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® has since gone international and grown to 78 Walks (so far) in 2008 alone.  The Walk is becoming increasingly popular because of it’s surprising success in getting heterosexual men to playfully don the shoes and publicly march.

One out of every 6 American women and one in 33 men have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

Baird says it's difficult to get people talking about sexualized violence. “It’s ugly. People don’t want to know it happens. People who’ve suffered it want to forget about it. But it does exist and people can’t forget the trauma.”

For preventive education, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® helps men better understand and appreciate women’s experiences, thus changing perspectives, helping improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence. For healing, it informs the community that services are available for recovery. Baird says, “It demonstrates that men are willing and able to be courageous partners with women in making the world a safer place for everyone.”

For more information and pictures of men marching in high-heeled shoes, go to www.walkamileinhershoes.org .

Contact:
Frank Baird, Walk Founder
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
805/807-0652 Phone
818/889-3833 Fax
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www.walkamileinhershoes.org

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