Swiss men lead protest to reduce violence against women

Detailed summary

Men in Switzerland have marched to denounce violence against women as part of a movement to open the eyes of young men who are caught up in the "manosphere".

Hundreds of men have led a demonstration in the Swiss capital of Bern to denounce misogyny and a plague of violence against women, insisting men need to take a bigger and more vocal role in fighting both.

The "Men against Violence against Women" rally outside parliament on Saturday follows high and persistent concerns that expressions of misogyny are too present online among teenage boys and young men - and that other men need to build a stronger counter-narrative.

It comes as some influencers on the fringe of the right-wing "manosphere" were emboldened after President Donald Trump's presidential win in 2024 to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online.

Academics and advocacy groups, for the first time, have tried to map the extent of the movement in Switzerland.

A survey released in June by the University of Zurich and mencare, an umbrella group of Swiss men's and fathers' organisations, found half of male respondents aged 18 to 24 had expressed concerns that "real men are increasingly marginalised in society" and had a "restrictive and dominance-based view of masculinity".

The study pointed to the need for "a systematic and society-wide debate about ideals of masculinity that promote violence. The debate should start in schools".

The Swiss government has been taking note: Justice Minister Beat Jans earlier this month attended a conference designed to raise awareness about the hazards of violent invective online against women.

In a speech on the issue on November 2, Jans cited statistics that four-fifths of violent crimes were committed by men, and in cases of rape "it is as high as 99 per cent".

"It is not all men. But we must also admit: It is almost always men," Jans said.

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