EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Men in high heels will take to the streets of Downtown El Paso next week to spotlight domestic violence and raise money for local shelters.
The YWCA of El Paso announced its 17th annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” fundraiser, an event that brings men from across the community together to walk a mile in high heels in support of victims of domestic abuse.
“This brings men together from all different areas and different lines of business within the community to really advocate for the respect and understanding of domestic abuse against women,” said Daniel Veale, chair of the Men’s Advisory Council.
Valerie Garcia, the event chair, a YWCA board member, and a vice president, said the walk also aims to encourage men to take an active role in addressing domestic violence.
“A dad can show his son, his brother, his uncle, that they need to be aware that domestic violence has happened, and they need to be the solution and not the problem,” Garcia said.
The event comes as October serves as Domestic Violence Awareness Month as the city and state continue to see a rise in domestic and family violence cases.
As reported by El Paso Matters in 2021, between January and August of 2021, there were about 2,600 family violence incidents reported to the El Paso Police Department — a 5% increase from the same period in 2020. The city’s 400 reports of sexual assault also rose by nearly 3% compared to the first eight months of 2020, according to EPPD data from CASFV.
More recently, in 2025, 160 Texans lost their lives due to intimate partner violence, accounting for the deaths of 136 women and 24 men killed by an intimate partner, and 3 of those deaths happened in El Paso County, according to data from the Texas Council on Family Violence.
The fundraiser is next Thursday, Oct. 22, at San Jacinto Plaza. Registration starts at 5 p.m., and the walk begins at 6 p.m.
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