Young tradie's video message to men praised online

Jakson Elfring is getting handshakes from people at work and praise from perfect strangers online. He deserves all of it.

The diesel mechanic from Traralgon, 164km east of Melbourne, just said what men needed to hear.

The father-of-two published an emotional and heartfelt video on Facebook last week, reports news.com.au.

He implored men around Australia to have more respect for women and for themselves, to stand up to other men who perpetuate the country's "shocking rape culture" and to understand three very simple words: "No means no."

It's a simple message but Jakson's delivery struck a chord with viewers who had shared his video more than 29,000 times by Friday. It has now been viewed more than a million times.

"Yesterday I saw on the news that a girl had been attacked in our local town then I woke up this morning and something similar, not in our town," he said at the beginning of a four-minute video.

"I looked over to our partner — we're parents of two young boys — I saw her heart break and she lost more hope.

"Someone needs to stand up and start saying something. As a dad that's pretty important to me so here I am and this is what I believe.

His message touched on a number of points, starting with "respect for others".

"That is not hard, mate," he said.

He asked men to "have respect for your mum" and "live by three of the easiest words you can live by — no means no".

"If you can't live by that, there's something wrong with ya," Jakson said.

"The rape culture here in Australia is shocking. It starts with a joke at work or a text message or something you tag your mate in on Facebook.

"Or just as easy as little comments like, 'oi, I saw this sheila on the weekend, she's a sl*t'. It's gotta stop. That's crap. If I ever hear my boys say something like that I will not be happy.

"Stand up to your mates. If you hear 'em saying this stuff, you need to tell that that's not acceptable. And don't back down if they start getting cranky. Back yourself, and say something, otherwise this is never going to stop."

Viewers congratulated him on taking a stand and saying what far too few men have publicly said.

One person wrote: "I couldn't agree more with you Jackson. The way you presented this also shows the quality of your character. Great respect for a fellow gentleman."

Another wrote: "Well said young man, we need more like you in this world."

Others said "Praise the Lord for men like you!!" and "It's lovely to see a young man like you trying to make a difference in this disrespectful world of ours.

"I also bought my boys up with the saying 'no means no! It's a word you will hear often so get used to it!' Your boys are so lucky to have you as their role model."

WHERE TO GET HELP:

If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.

If you need to talk to someone, the following free helplines operate 24/7:

DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757
LIFELINE: 0800 543 354
NEED TO TALK? Call or text 1737
SAMARITANS: 0800 726 666
YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 or text 234

There are lots of places to get support. For others, click here.​