Ending violence against women also involves men (Part II)

Promoting positive masculinities and the active engagement of men in the fight against gender-based violence are two main ways to achieve the goal of gender equality and—above all—end male violence against women. All over Latin America and the Caribbean, initiatives are under way to break traditional gender stereotypes and promote relationships based on respect and equality between men and women.

The United Nations System and civil society promote campaigns for new masculinity and to convince men that they have a fundamental role as allies in the struggle against gender-based violence.

Across the world, different movements and campaigns have engaged men as partners. For instance, the UN “HeForShe” campaign encourages men to take tangible measures in support of gender equality and to combat violence. The famous #MeToo that started as a movement of women sharing their experiences of sexual abuse and harassment, was joined by many men to show solidarity and responsibility in the struggle against gender-based violence. Then there is the White Ribbon Campaign, a pledge that asks men to “never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.”

Across the region, there are many good examples, some promoted by the UNDP Regional InfoSegura Project, others by a variety of United Nations agencies or even by civil society.

-       Campaign to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls in Honduras: Raising awareness of the “new masculinities” to unlearn misguided concepts about gender roles that lead to violence. Includes online forums, theatre, contests and more. Uses young social media influencers to promote messages about unlearning harmful conceptions of gender and masculinity. Implemented with UNDP support through the InfoSegura Project in collaboration with USAID, and with the 911 National Emergency System, the Technological University (UTH) and the Scouts of Honduras.

 

 

-       Development of content for a chatbot in Latin America: Project lead by InfoSegura in partnership with USAID to create an artificial intelligence to interact with men and raise their awareness of male violence against women and girls, providing information and resources on gender and violence.

-       Course on co-responsible masculinities in Argentina: Together with the Masculinities and Social Change Institute, the UNDP set out to develop a strategy to work with men, understanding that there can be no balance or sustainable change in the care of older people or those with disabilities without challenging hegemonic masculinity.

-       Campaign in Costa Rica: The Ministry of Public Security, the Institute of Masculinities WEM, the UNDP and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), came together to create the campaign During the pandemic #StayHome I'm Up for Taking Care of Us, providing men of all ages with tools to handle their emotions, live with others without violence and take responsibility for tasks in the household.

-       Project in Cuba: Workshop called “Masculinities emancipated from machismo” in Cuba promoted by UNDP in collaboration with the Ibero-American and African Network of Masculinities (RIAM) to debate the importance of individual and collective action towards building masculinities that support equality and are against gender-based violence.

-       Convening “Men for Equality” in Mexico: Pursues a transformation of harmful masculinities in Mexico, especially among indigenous and afro descendent men through training and promoting non-violent masculinities.

-       Intervention “Let’s Talk Among Friends” in Peru: This project is a 30-day self-improvement effort over WhatsApp. It is a programme for men with the support of the Peruvian Government. The project uses the instant messaging service as a tool to promote healthy masculinities, to prevent gender-based violence, to foster respecting consent in sexual relations and to promote sharing responsibilities for domestic and care work at the household level.

-       MenEngage Alliance: A worldwide alliance of NGOs and UN Agencies involving boys, youth and men in gender equality.

-       Male Partners for Gender Equality in Latin America: A toolkit to help parliamentarians across the region gain a deeper understanding of gender inequality and work with women to promote gender equality in policy and society. Promoted by ParlAmericas with support from UN Women and the Government of Canada, among others.

In all, it is essential that men engage actively in the struggle against gender-based violence to achieve significant and lasting change in Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean. Education, awareness, financial support, activism and promoting positive behaviours are all ways men can play a fundamental part in building societies that are more egalitarian and free from gender-based violence.