Positive Masculinity: Engaging Men as Allies in Building Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplaces

On Wednesday, 20 October, 𝗪𝗶𝗠𝗦𝗔’𝘀 𝗚𝗕𝗩 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 hosted a powerful, necessary and moving conversation on 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲, 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀. The session brought together voices from across the mining industry to confront the realities of gender based violence and to explore how men can become active partners in prevention, accountability, and cultural change. 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗵𝗶, 𝗪𝗶𝗠𝗦𝗔 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, opened the dialogue with a call to action, reminding us that prevention begins long before violence occurs, in the everyday attitudes and behaviours that shape our workplaces and communities. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗮 of 𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗔 reflected that “𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥,” urging men to create safe spaces for honest conversation, healing, and allyship. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 challenged the stereotypes that limit men’s ability to stand up for what’s right, reminding us that “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦.” And 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 of 𝗦𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 asked the question that continues to echo: “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?” — a reminder that progress demands persistence, empathy, and action. This conversation was not about blame; it was about shared responsibility. It was about redefining strength, shifting the narrative, and recognising that safety in mining extends beyond physical protection, it includes psychological safety, respect, and dignity for all. 𝗪𝗶𝗠𝗦𝗔 continues to champion these conversations because change begins when we listen, when we engage, and when we stand together. We’re looking forward to seeing you at future sessions as we continue the work of building a mining industry where women thrive and men lead with empathy, accountability, and courage.