Thread by @BrettFishA

On this Women's Day i renew my commitment to interrupt situations where women are being insulted, harassed or interrupted, to reflect on my presence as a man & what it might communicate to a woman who doesn't know me, & to work with the men i know & encounter to be and do better.

The daily #NotOnOurWatch commitment i make with regards to women means i will do my best not to stand by when any form of injustice happens to a woman or women in front of me, both online and offline, but will speak up or act in a way that announces "This is not okay!"

i will continue my commitment to listen carefully and do the work of learning, not expecting women to have to do the work of educating me on how to treat them better, but also not doing this learning in a vacuum away from women's input or correction where i get it wrong.

i will seek to, through my words, attitudes and actions, be more an accomplice than an ally to the women in and around my life, not seeking to be named any of those things, but hoping that i will be experienced as such in ways that are positive and uplifting.

In spaces of leadership or authority i commit to being more aware of when women are absent from the room or their voices are not being heard or even deliberately ignored or interrupted. i will name this and refuse to participate in ways that make me part of the problem.

During conversations or meetings i will try and be more aware of the women in the room and hold back my voice on occasions where men are dominating and find ways to hand the mic to women and amplify their voices. [In ways that don't spotlight or center me as "the good guy"]

Mostly i will try and listen more, to lived experiences and for ways in which i can be more of the solution than the problem. And will continue to use my platform and spaces to encourage other men to do the same.

When i am walking on the streets and encounter a woman walking alone either coming towards me or walking in the same way as me i will try and be alert to what my presence might communicate to her and find the quickest way to remove or lessen any threat she may feel from me.

i will take any "No!" that a woman gives me seriously, whether it is my niece saying she doesn't want to be tickled or a woman saying she doesn't want to talk to me or have me join her. i will help others to do the same.

i will interrupt "jokes" or comments that are at the expense of women or which demean or objectify or somehow lessen the identity of women, even if it means causing uncomfortable or embarrassing moments or conversations.

i will avoid speaking about any woman in a way that makes her seem like my possession rather than a person in her own right. "My girl" "Our women" etc... because that tends to mimic how we end up treating them, more as things than people.

i will do my best to listen when i am called out by a woman (here or offline) and give it extra gravity and reflect a little deeper before responding and own where i get it wrong and do my best to make honest amends.

i realise and acknowledge that none of the above make me a good guy in any way. The bar is so very low on what we as men can and should do to 'be good'. We need to raise it and collectively work towards making this a safer and more inclusive world for women in every possible way.

Only then can we really start to think that it might be okay or even mean anything to say something like "Happy Women's Day" especially in South Africa where we collectively have a disgusting horrendous and violent track record towards women.

Most of all, my commitment is to try to be and do better, when it comes to women, and to help create a world where you feel more safe and valued and gives equal opportunity and are taken as seriously. I hope you feel seen and valued on this day.