Over the last two weeks there has been quite a few sessions examining the issue of how to engage men and boys in anti violence.  This has been particularly useful as this is an issue that has been explored within the YWCA in Australia.

A key contribution has been the development of the evidence base.  A particularly important piece of evidence will be the International Men and Gender Equality Survey, a standardised questionnaire (one applied women and one with men) to measure and monitor men’s behaviours around gender equality. Very early results were presented that were very interesting and somewhat confronting around the prevalence  of attitudes of acceptability of violence against women.  However, providing this evidence base provides opportunities to understand the issues and understand the challenges ahead.  It will be useful to monitor the results of this survey and analyse what this means for us in Australia.

At the interactive session on violence against women held on Thursday 11 February, this issue was explored in some depth by Dean Peacock, the Co-Director, Sonke Gender Justice Network and Co-Chair, Global MenEngage Alliance.  A copy of his supporting statement is provided on line at http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing15/interactive_panel_V/Dean%20Peacock.pdf

This presentation was very practical and useful and included the presentation of a set of principles that should underpin the work that occurs with men and boys around eliminating violence against women.  Mr Peacock stated that these principles are required to ensure that the goal of achieving gender equality and advancing women’s rights is at the goal of these activities.  These draw on a WHO policy brief and include:

• Recognise that men have an investment in change: Policies and programmes shouldrecognise that men also have a stake in changing rigid gender roles and they should support men’s efforts to change..
• Promote women’s rights: Policy approaches to involving men in achieving gender equality should aim to advance women’s and men’s full access to and enjoyment of their human rights and should intend to bring about gender equality. As such, work with men and boys should encourage men to develop respectful, trusting, and egalitarian relations with women, and with other men.
• Consult women’s rights organisations: Policies and programmes aimed at engaging men and boys in achieving gender equality should be developed and implemented in consultation with groups working to promote and protect women’s rights.
• Recognise that men are diverse: Approaches to engaging men in gender equality work should recognise that men are not homogenous and that their life experiences and access to resources, services and rights is shaped by factors such as class, caste, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and age (from paper referenced above).

Peacock noted that the fifteen years since Beijing have laid the foundation for the work ahead with men and boys, particularly in creating laws and policies, good programme models and an evidence base showing that work with men and boys can improve women’s access to health, rights and dignity whilst simultaneously improving the quality of men’s lives. He noted that the task over the coming years is to build on these accomplishments so that we can accomplish the goal set by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon when he said “Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leader or by any government.”  (again, this is referenced from the paper provided to support presented)



Interactive Panel on Eliminating Violence Against Women at 2010 CSW