COEUR d’ALENE — Owen Benson donned a violet sash that read “I am man enough.” He chose to sport the sash because he couldn’t quite squeeze his size 12 feet into a pair of high heels.

But he did give it an honest effort.

Benson, 20, and his mom, MaryJo Kringas, both of Coeur d’Alene, arrived in front of the Human Rights Education Institute on Saturday morning to support the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes rally, an effort to raise awareness about the prevention of domestic and sexual violence.

“The fact that we have strong men in our community putting heels on to walk in solidarity with women who are oppressed in our community is just wonderful,” Kringas said. She is a member of the HREI and learned of the event through its newsletter. She asked her son to join her because they both believe in social causes for women.

“I truly believe in that, and my son has always supported me in that,” Kringas said. “I consider it to be really wonderful of him to want to be in support of women too.”

Nearly 20 people of all ages assembled to participate in the quarter-mile march in high heels through City Park, followed by a 3K run along Lake Coeur d’Alene. Donations of $30 were accepted to benefit the North Idaho Violence Prevention Center and the HREI. Some heels were provided, but a few attendees brought their own.

“Our main goal is to raise awareness with men,” said Jennifer Bokma, development director and outreach for North Idaho Violence Prevention Center. “How do we engage men on this topic that is very difficult to talk about in a way that is lighthearted?”

One supporter who wore size 10 1/2 red heels was Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo. He said he feels very strongly about violence prevention, and heard a domestic call on his police radio just that morning.

“It’s not just those things that happen at night, they happen in the bright of day,” he said. “It’s something that I wish wasn’t out there, but it is. Having groups like this working to get the awareness up on it is phenomenal.”

He said police enforcement members see “first-hand perspective domestic violence, and the victims, the children, the families,” and an event like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes “helps raise awareness, and from our perspective, it’s just something we should do.”

Karl Eastlund, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, towered over others in his pink shirt and size 16 red heels. He and his daughter Maya, 10, came from Spokane to rally for the cause.

“This is one of those silent things that you don’t hear a lot about because it’s a very personal issue,” Eastlund said. “So if people are dealing with it they don’t make a lot of noise, but unfortunately it’s more prevalent than people think. So awareness is really important.”

This was the event’s third year in North Idaho and the first year the high-heel march was open to women.

As the group made its way through the park, people pulled out their phones to record video, and one woman yelled, “Try doing that for 16 hours!” Bokma spoke into a megaphone as she marched in black heels, informing passersby of the group’s purpose.

“As men may be more used to work boots or sneakers, placing them in high heels provides a fun reversal that emphasizes the need to see violence from the perspective of the other gender,” Brian Keenan, program coordinator of HREI, said in a news release. “The lighthearted exercise has a serious point: raising awareness and enlisting men as allies in the fight against violence.”