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Engaging Men to Eliminate Gender Based Violence

Untied Nations, Jul 10 2013 (IPS) - The vital role gender stereotypes play in promoting peace was highlighted at the United Nations this week.

Gary Barker of Promundo, a Brazilian non-governmental organization (NGO), stressed the importance of addressing the issue of gendered identity and how it contributes to domestic violence, as well as war.

Promundo undertakes a lot of work engaging men in conflict and post conflict settings around the world, particularly in the favelas of Rio de Janerio. Here, perceptions of masculinity are often so entrenched in drug culture that many males literally die trying to assert their sense of manhood, he said.

Barker explained that “men’s tenuous hold on a sense of identity …are huge drivers of all kinds of issues we are concerned about …whether its men’s use of violence against women…[or] their own health issues.”

The International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) undertook a recent analysis of gender relations and sexual violence in North Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

About 1,500 interviews were conducted on both men and women. The results showed that an overwhelming 72 percent of men felt ashamed to face their families, if they were unemployed. Barker explained that notions of masculinity often centre on the need to be a provider, “if there’s no work, you’re not a man” he said.

War often intensifies gender based violence. “The displacement that comes from conflict, the loss of livelihood that comes from conflict, the witnessing and experience of violence that comes from conflict create this very toxic mix that is affecting both the lives of women and the lives of men” said Barker.

In a country where hundreds of rapes take place every day, mostly in the home,  understanding this sense of lost identity and challenging gender stereotypes could help lead to solutions for this problem in the DRC.

Interestingly, it was also found that men fare worse in the face of conflict than women who have a tendency to talk about their problems and build networks of solidarity. In addition, women did not report a sense of lost identity in a conflict setting in the way that men did.

Also key to understanding gender norms that perpetuate violence are childhood experiences. “Men who carried out care giving and witnessed their fathers doing care giving are more likely to be gender equitable in their views, more involved in the lives of their children and more supportive of their partners as equals”  Barker said.

It is therefore crucial to engage males and females into addressing their gendered identities from an early age to ensure that domestic peace has hope of prevailing, especially in post conflict settings.

 
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