Having grown up as the only boy in his family with three sisters, Marcus Bontempelli has always felt passionate about advocating against violence against women.
“I was completely shocked to hear the statistics around violence against women in Australia – some of the stories and facts were really hard to believe.” – Marcus bontempelli
Through The Line, a national campaign aimed at encouraging young people to challenge attitudes and behaviours that support violence against women, Bontempelli is doing just that.
Bontempelli, Shaun Burgoyne and Patrick Dangerfield are the AFL faces coming together to help 12-20-year-olds identify and call out behaviours that ‘cross the line’, such as being disrespectful towards others.
With personal ties to the cause, the three players have each shared their story on camera, encouraging young people to build and maintain healthy, equal and respectful relationships.
“I was completely shocked to hear the statistics around violence against women in Australia – some of the stories and facts were really hard to believe,” Bontempelli said.
“The work of The Line in challenging the attitudes and beliefs of people from a young age is crucial to creating an understanding of what is classified as acceptable behaviour.”
With results of an independent study commissioned by Our Watch demonstrating that one in four young people believe that controlling and violent behaviours are a sign of male strength, the three AFL stars are determined to take a stand.
VIDEO: Watch Adelaide Crows star Patrick Dangerfield talk about real courage in young men.
For more information visit www.theline.org.au.