Involve men in struggles for gender equality
Nov 19, 2007
SEXUAL and gender-based violence (SGBV) is violence directed against a person on the basis of sex. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.<br>
Levis Onegi
SEXUAL and gender-based violence (SGBV) is violence directed against a person on the basis of sex. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.
SGBV refers to violations of fundamental human rights that deny human dignity. SGBV, especially defilement and domestic violence, have reached alarming levels in Uganda.
Police reports indicate an increase in reported cases of defilement. This is because the laws are too weak to act as a deterrent or enforcement is poor. There is need for new and complementary approaches to achieve gender equality.
Struggles for gender equality by activists have created rifts between men and women. Yet FEMNITE reports that the experience of working with men proved that men are a critical partner in bringing about gender equality.
Men who are gender sensitised have been found to be key allies in the struggle for equality at every level. The Men Against Gender Based Violence initiative was founded basing on this experience. Another initiative is the Men Consultation on Gender Based Violence conference in Nairobi in December 2001 which culminated in development of plans of actions, focusing on roles that men and boys can play in the fight for gender equality.
The Nairobi conference was attended by men from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. Similar examples include the Men to Men Initiative in Malawi which started in 2000; the Men for Gender Equality in Kenya; and other men’s groups in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. Some of the recommendations from these fora include the following:
(a) Government starts grassroots awareness in local languages;
(b) NGOs and civil society organisations should promote, train, and build networks with the men’s groups;
(c) Women activists should revisit their approaches towards men;
(d) Use of schools to form boys clubs for gender equality.
Since men are the major perpetrators, they should be educated on the consequences of their actions towards women and the need to respect the rights of women as enshrined in international, regional and national legal frameworks, such as the 1967 UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The writer is a resident of Arua
SEXUAL and gender-based violence (SGBV) is violence directed against a person on the basis of sex. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.
SGBV refers to violations of fundamental human rights that deny human dignity. SGBV, especially defilement and domestic violence, have reached alarming levels in Uganda.
Police reports indicate an increase in reported cases of defilement. This is because the laws are too weak to act as a deterrent or enforcement is poor. There is need for new and complementary approaches to achieve gender equality.
Struggles for gender equality by activists have created rifts between men and women. Yet FEMNITE reports that the experience of working with men proved that men are a critical partner in bringing about gender equality.
Men who are gender sensitised have been found to be key allies in the struggle for equality at every level. The Men Against Gender Based Violence initiative was founded basing on this experience. Another initiative is the Men Consultation on Gender Based Violence conference in Nairobi in December 2001 which culminated in development of plans of actions, focusing on roles that men and boys can play in the fight for gender equality.
The Nairobi conference was attended by men from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. Similar examples include the Men to Men Initiative in Malawi which started in 2000; the Men for Gender Equality in Kenya; and other men’s groups in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. Some of the recommendations from these fora include the following:
(a) Government starts grassroots awareness in local languages;
(b) NGOs and civil society organisations should promote, train, and build networks with the men’s groups;
(c) Women activists should revisit their approaches towards men;
(d) Use of schools to form boys clubs for gender equality.
Since men are the major perpetrators, they should be educated on the consequences of their actions towards women and the need to respect the rights of women as enshrined in international, regional and national legal frameworks, such as the 1967 UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The writer is a resident of Arua