40 men to walk in heels to show support against domestic violence
A group of 40 men will strut a mile down Raffles Place in high heels to show their support against domestic violence and abuse.
The fund-raising event, A Mile In Her Shoes, is organised by jewellery brand Luxequisite, and fine-dining restaurant, Sinfonia Ristorante, and hopes to raise $100,000 for the Association of Women for Action and Research.
The 1.7km walk, which will be held tomorrow morning, will start at Republic Plaza and end at 11 Empress Place, near the Asian Civilisations Museum.
The participants will be provided heels of 3.5 inches high and above.
One of the participants, managing director of CHP Law, Mr Christopher Huang, will courageously make the walk in five-inch heels. It will be his first time wearing heels.
Mr Huang said: "(Domestic violence) is something that often goes unsaid, and the cases in Singapore are grossly under reported because I'm sure there are many who suffer in silence."
He added that the majority of the perpetrators are usually men.
He said: "Men are usually in the power to exert physical dominance. Just because men (have that power) doesn't mean that they should."
Local celebrity Hossan Leong, who will be joining the event as a special guest, said what spurred him to join the event was how domestic abuse cases spiked during the pandemic.
He said: "I can't imagine how many people would have gone through (the abuse). It's very detrimental to someone's mental health as well."
He said he hopes to raise awareness that domestic violence does not just come in the form of physical abuse, but can take the form of emotional torture.
While it is not the first time for him walking in heels, Mr Leong said: "For guys, walking in heels is no mean feat. It will certainly be a sight to behold, but I think it's symbolic for us to be doing this, to show that we stand against (domestic violence)."
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