TOLEDO, Ohio — 17.8 million children.
That is the stat from the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau that shows how many children live without a father figure in a household.
Because of that, the same report shows a direct correlation to 85% of these children having behavior disorders and 70% of youth entering juvenile detention centers.
"While the majority of men don't perpetrate the violence, it's a minority compared to the rest of us men," Tony Porter, CEO of A Call to Men, said. "We, as a majority, are silent to the violence."
A Call to Men is a nonprofit that works to advance gender and racial justice and create a more equitable society.
That was part of what Porter spoke about Thursday afternoon at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, promoting healthy manhood and ending violence against women and girls.
Audience seating was full and Porter says that this is the start of a future where conversations about this topic can become normal.
"I do believe people have a genuine interest in this topic," Porter said. "What we need to do is create more space to have these types of conversations."
Here in Lucas County, Tramain Rayford, CEO of The Program Inc., an outreach program for men ages 8-18, shared that the fatherlessness rate dropped slightly from 48.48% to 46.79% from January 2020 to January 2022.
Although numbers are dropping, local organizations like Lucas County Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that helps children who experience abuse or neglect be safe, are asking people to volunteer to help kids in need, regardless of their gender.
"We need men to become CASA volunteers, to advocate for our communities' abused and neglected children," said Judy Leb, the director of CASA. "Actually, we need men and women to become CASA volunteers."