ELIMINATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: WHAT MEN

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ELIMINATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WHAT MEN
BOYS CAN DO

• Presented _at_ 2-Day Workshop on Male Involvement in
  Eliminating Violence Against Women, Marian Hotel
  , Calabar, May 26-27, 2008

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Introduction

• There are several roles men and boys can play to
  eliminate violence against women in the society.
• Already there are some men who are against
  violence against women and young girls. However,
  they are not speaking out publicly.
• Thus we need to not only get men involved, but
  also expand the number of men actively taking
  action in their communities to end violence
  against women.

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What Men/Boys Can Do

• Men and boys can do one or more of the
  following
• Working on themselves
• Serving as a mentor or a good role model
• Taking Action as a neighbour/friend/bystander
• Men/boys as an Allies

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Working on Themselves

• This is the foundation. Charity they say begins
  at home.
• Behavioural change should start at home, within
  the family. This is because you can not offer
  what you do not have. Men and boys should start
  asking themselves the following questions
• how do I treat the immediate people
  (women/girls) around me mother, mother-in-law,
  wife, sister, daughter, niece?

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Working on Themselves Contd

• Am I in any way controlling, manipulative or
  abusive?
• This is a process of self reflection and asking
  the question what they as men can do to change
  societal attitudes and behavioural patterns

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Serving as a Mentor or Good Role Model

• Serving as a mentor or a good role model, is a
  vital and effective way men and young boys can
  preach the message of stopping violence against
  women/young girls.
• Role models set examples for others to emulate.
  Thus a man and young boy who exhibits respect for
  the bodily integrity of young girls, and non
  violent options for resolving a conflict with the
  feminine gender, can influence those around him
  positively.

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Serving as a Mentor Contd

• Mentors are also role models, as people look up
  to them. They are fathers, uncles, bosses,
  coaches, community leaders, religious leaders
  etc.

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Taking Action as a Neighbour/Friend/Bystander

• A bystander can be anybody neighbour, friend,
  classmate, co-worker , teammate or even someone
  unknown to you.
• As a bystander you are not the target of the
  violent act, but you are affected by the
  violence, because you happen to be close to the
  site of occurrence.
• Often times men witness acts of violence against
  women both in public and private places.

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Taking Action as a Neighbour/Friend/Bystander
Contd

• By speaking out against violence against
  women/young girls as a bystander, men/young boys
  are saying it is a socially unacceptable
  behaviour.
• They are saying, the victims doesnt have to be
  my sister, friend or neighbour, before I condemn
  her victimization.
• Men/young boys as bystanders, can prevent,
  interrupt or intervene in abusive situations.

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Men as Allies

• Men can serve very well in this capacity, because
  of the several privileges they have in society.
  Particularly because of their numerical strength
  in positions of authority public life and
  decision making men can influence policy and
  legislative changes, that can curb gender-based
  violence.

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Men as Allies Contd

• Men and young boys who ally with women to
  eliminate violence against women, recognize the
  numerous benefits of gender and social equality
  in their own lives, and the lives of women around
  them such as their mothers, daughters, sisters,
  wives and colleagues.

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Strategies for Male Involvement

• Strategies for increasing mens involvement in
  eliminating violence against women include
• 1. Present men as potential partners capable of
  playing a positive role in eliminating
  violence against women.
• 2. Support men to recognize and address
  violence on women close to them.
• 3. Create opportunities for men to learn the
  skills necessary to eliminate violence in
  women.

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Strategies for Male Involvement Contd

• Encourage men to play active roles in the
  elimination of violence against women in the
  following ways
• play important role in re-enforcing positive
  social norms
• regard violence on any person as barbaric and
  inhuman not withstanding whether the person is
  related to you or not
• Gain support of family members to destroy
  out-dated and oppressive culture values
• Providing succour and justice to abused/violated
  women

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Strategies for Male Involvement Contd

• Build partnerships with support groups for
  abuse women especially in the area of Advocacy
  and social justice.
• 6. Promote activities across the spectrum of
  prevention of VAW (SPECTRUM OF CHANGED e.g
  promoting community education, strengthening
  individual knowledge and skills, educating
  rights keepers, fostering coalition and network,
  community mobilization, financial access to
  justice, in fluency policy legislation

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• THE END