Talk about walking in someone shoes — The 10th annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ event took place yesterday (April 18th) at the Plaza De Cesar Chavez in San Jose, Calif. Men from all “walks of life” came to support by wearing a pair of high heel shoes to bring awareness to sexual violence against women.

The event hopes to open the line of communication between men and women about abuse.

According to their website:

“A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” Event is abundant with opportunities to get people talking. For preventive education, it helps men better understand and appreciate women’s experiences, thus changing perspectives, helping improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence. For healing, it informs the community that services are available for recovery. It demonstrates that men are willing and able to be courageous partners with women in making the world a safer place.”

According to the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, an average of 207,754 cases, or one victim every two minutes, of rape and sexual assault were reported between 2006-2010.