What can you do?
sion that happens. Men, who are 99 % of the buyers of sex, start watching soft pornography as young men, and brain science teaches us that pheromones and other chemicals are released, keeping them coming back for more. Like other drugs, they need more and more to get the next better high,” Winn says.“ Pornography becomes more frequent, more violent, more perverse, and it can eventually lead men to venture out, seeking it in person, paying for what they want. Victims are getting younger and younger, and these men’ s natures have become more violent.” Is it any wonder that approximately 25 % of the girls at Arizona State University and approximately 20 % of the University of Arizona’ s girls are sexually assaulted? On college campuses all over the US, some young men act like predators, playing out the scenes they witness on screen, while the young women experience shame, embarrassment, stolen innocence, depression and post-traumatic stress.
At a young age, perhaps through video games, but mostly through the lack of developing real relationship skills, people lose what we call
PHOTO: DAVE MCCLEARY
Kathleen Winn with President Jimmy Carter and Rosalind Carter 2015 World Summit“ Ending Sexual Exploitation 2025.” empathy. Everywhere we go, people are texting on phone devices. They don’ t look at each other, and real communication and connections are
lost. We become less aware and less connected to the suffering of others. The cost of depersonalizing others not only shows up as buying human children to satisfy sexual needs, but it also leads to higher dropout rates, the break-up of families, and fatherless children.“ These men are missing out on the joy and richness of emotional connectedness,” asserts Winn. Leading experts know that instant gratification, depersonalizing the act of sex, and thinking that real people should act like pornography actors, are destroying the fabric of society and the quality of relationships.
To counter this tide, AZMEN was established in 2014 to help men understand what it means to be a man, and to redefine masculinity. These men learn to lead by example by becoming mentors to younger men, by supporting the well-being and safety of women, and by combatting sex-trafficking as their primary missions. As executive director of AZMEN, Winn reports one way the organization does this is by teaching young men the importance of honor, trust, integrity, communication, and developing empathy, all leading to healthier, happier, more meaningful relationships.
This past year, Winn also had the privilege of helping to create the“ World Summit for Ending Sexual Exploitation 2025” with International Rotary, hosted by the Carter Center and former US President Jimmy Carter. President Carter said the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused
What can you do?
l Donate to organizations like Shared Hope International and AZMEN l Get on Shared Hope’ s action alert and write letters to your congressional delegation l Become a Defender on Shared Hope’ s site or become a mentor for men through AZMEN l Become an ambassador for Shared Hope and tell others what you have learned l Educate your children to develop skills in empathy, compassion, leadership, integrity and in ways to stay safe from all forms of abuse l Educate yourself further by inviting an ambassador to speak to your community or civic organization l Take time to check out these important websites: sharedhope. org, endsextrafficking. az. gov www. azmen. org, trustaz. org, traffickingresourcecenter. org / state / arizona, streetlightusa. org
28 IMAGINE l SPRING 2016