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Accountability of Men and Boys for Gender Justice
2nd MenEngage Global Symposium 2014, New Delhi, India
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E PREMDAS PINTO
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Gender equality is not only an issue of interest to women. Rather, it’s a concern for everyone – young and old, men and women. With this agenda at its core, the 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium 2014 – Men and Boys for Gender Justice, held in New Delhi from November 10 to 13, 2014; sought to address the various ways in which dominant norms of masculinity contribute to gender based violence. It reflected on the behavioural accountability that needed to be taken by men and boys in the collective effort to uproot gender based discrimination.
Significance of the Symposium in New Delhi The five organising partners of the symposium were: MenEngage, a global alliance comprising over 400 NGOs and UN partners all of whom work individually and collectively with men and boys for gender equality; the New Delhi-based Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ), a founder member of the alliance, which hosted the secretariat for the symposium; UNFPA; UN Women; and Beijing +20.A host of other international and national partners played an active role in contributing to the event in multiple ways. |
Opening of 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium at New Delhi, India
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The first MenEngage symposium was held five years earlier in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. The decision to hold the second symposium in New Delhi was not a bolt from the blue. Following the horrific 'Nirbhaya' gangrape incident, in 2012, Delhi had become the epicentre of street protests regarding violence against women that rocked India and the entire world. It sparked a million mutinies and the coming of age of men's involvement in gender justice in the region. Since then, voices of dissent from citizens calling for change flooded media and public discourse, forcing the government to introduce policies and programmes addressing violence against women. Parallel to this, initiatives arose from the city to reclaim the metropolis as a safe space for women and all genders by different organisations and individuals.
The symposium thus marked a citizen’s movement of people from different sectors and strata of society, who came together to collectively articulate the concern for gender justice and the role of men and boys as allies in this venture.
Process of advocacy and design of the Symposium
The agenda of engaging men and boys for gender justice through the symposium was carried out at two levels: as an advocacy process and the event itself.
To guide the advocacy on masculinities and to design the symposium, brainstorming meetings were held among different stakeholders at the international, national and regional levels. Many stakeholders formed steering committees to plan the symposium. This ensured diverse representation, processes and consolidation of interests of organizations working in different development sectors, different regions and sections of populations from across the world. Regular meetings were held for the emergence of diverse viewpoints, all of which contributed to the richness and complexity of the symposium's programme.
As part of the process various advocacy messages were formulated – urging men and boys to step up for gender justice, to reflect upon the cultural beliefs and practices that impact gender, to examine each of these from the lens of gender equality, dignity and respect for all genders, encouraging boys and men to discard practices and beliefs that stand against equal distribution of power, seeking a change in the manner boys socialized into men, urging stakeholders to take the relationship between hegemonic masculinities and existing social, political and cultural conflicts and foreground these concerns in the strategic approach and policies, while acknowledging youth as a significant stakeholder in change. A series of mobilisation events in communities and institutions were conducted to disseminate the message. Media conventions were held to actively promote these ideas. Youth collectives and initiatives were encouraged to voice their opinion
Experts, national and international NGOs working in this field, state agencies and citizens' collectives were sensitized. The symposium heralded opportunities for participation in the reflection and discussion of masculinities. Various regional symposiums, academic seminars, film festivals and cultural programmes were conducted across India. A similar process was conducted at the country level in the other South Asian countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Exploring key themes of gender and masculinities
The sessions that marked the four days of the symposium as an event led to an exploration among experts and stakeholders on seven main thematic tracks viz. violence, health and wellbeing, poverty and work, sexualities and identities, care, relationship and emotions, peace building, social justice and inclusion, and the making of men – from masculinity to humanity.
Discussions, experience-sharing and skill building sessions were held among the 1200 participants at the symposium from 94 countries on the mentioned thematic tracks through 60 thought-provoking sessions including 100 oral presentations and another 50 poster presentations in a multilingual melange that reflected the diversity and complexity of gender justice issues. The various ways in which patriarchal masculinities is inherently linked to social, political and cultural concerns and conflicts in the world today were explored.
The symposium encompassed a holistic approach to understanding the implications of masculinities in different domains and disciplines. It deepened the realization that while men and boys are implicated in violence and discrimination against women and girls, many men and boys are themselves victims of violence and risks associated with narrow views of masculinity. ‘Masculinities’ emerged as an important lens to understand the influences and compulsions men face. There was a clear acknowledgement of the need to integrate work with men and boys in a wide range of development interventions, including maternal health, child care and protection of child rights and family planning, not to mention in societies recovering from the violence of war.
The symposium was historically placed to mark twenty years since the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995 and International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt in 1994. Both the conferences mandate working with men and boys for arising developmental concerns including the agenda of women's empowerment and gender justice. Twenty years since Beijing and Cairo, the symposium proved to be a critical occasion for stakeholders working within this domain to critically examine their work processes and seek a way forward for a more solidified, nuanced and rigorous direction to their developmental policies and mandates for the next five years.
The symposium thus marked a citizen’s movement of people from different sectors and strata of society, who came together to collectively articulate the concern for gender justice and the role of men and boys as allies in this venture.
Process of advocacy and design of the Symposium
The agenda of engaging men and boys for gender justice through the symposium was carried out at two levels: as an advocacy process and the event itself.
To guide the advocacy on masculinities and to design the symposium, brainstorming meetings were held among different stakeholders at the international, national and regional levels. Many stakeholders formed steering committees to plan the symposium. This ensured diverse representation, processes and consolidation of interests of organizations working in different development sectors, different regions and sections of populations from across the world. Regular meetings were held for the emergence of diverse viewpoints, all of which contributed to the richness and complexity of the symposium's programme.
As part of the process various advocacy messages were formulated – urging men and boys to step up for gender justice, to reflect upon the cultural beliefs and practices that impact gender, to examine each of these from the lens of gender equality, dignity and respect for all genders, encouraging boys and men to discard practices and beliefs that stand against equal distribution of power, seeking a change in the manner boys socialized into men, urging stakeholders to take the relationship between hegemonic masculinities and existing social, political and cultural conflicts and foreground these concerns in the strategic approach and policies, while acknowledging youth as a significant stakeholder in change. A series of mobilisation events in communities and institutions were conducted to disseminate the message. Media conventions were held to actively promote these ideas. Youth collectives and initiatives were encouraged to voice their opinion
Experts, national and international NGOs working in this field, state agencies and citizens' collectives were sensitized. The symposium heralded opportunities for participation in the reflection and discussion of masculinities. Various regional symposiums, academic seminars, film festivals and cultural programmes were conducted across India. A similar process was conducted at the country level in the other South Asian countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Exploring key themes of gender and masculinities
The sessions that marked the four days of the symposium as an event led to an exploration among experts and stakeholders on seven main thematic tracks viz. violence, health and wellbeing, poverty and work, sexualities and identities, care, relationship and emotions, peace building, social justice and inclusion, and the making of men – from masculinity to humanity.
Discussions, experience-sharing and skill building sessions were held among the 1200 participants at the symposium from 94 countries on the mentioned thematic tracks through 60 thought-provoking sessions including 100 oral presentations and another 50 poster presentations in a multilingual melange that reflected the diversity and complexity of gender justice issues. The various ways in which patriarchal masculinities is inherently linked to social, political and cultural concerns and conflicts in the world today were explored.
The symposium encompassed a holistic approach to understanding the implications of masculinities in different domains and disciplines. It deepened the realization that while men and boys are implicated in violence and discrimination against women and girls, many men and boys are themselves victims of violence and risks associated with narrow views of masculinity. ‘Masculinities’ emerged as an important lens to understand the influences and compulsions men face. There was a clear acknowledgement of the need to integrate work with men and boys in a wide range of development interventions, including maternal health, child care and protection of child rights and family planning, not to mention in societies recovering from the violence of war.
The symposium was historically placed to mark twenty years since the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995 and International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt in 1994. Both the conferences mandate working with men and boys for arising developmental concerns including the agenda of women's empowerment and gender justice. Twenty years since Beijing and Cairo, the symposium proved to be a critical occasion for stakeholders working within this domain to critically examine their work processes and seek a way forward for a more solidified, nuanced and rigorous direction to their developmental policies and mandates for the next five years.
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The symposium marked a significant convention of national initiatives such as Forum to Engage Men from India and MenEngage Nepal; regional initiatives such as – South Asian Network to Address Masculinity (SANAM), MenEngage Europe and MenEngage Africa; and global initiatives such as MenEngage Global, White Ribbon campaign and the HeForShe campaign by UN Women, all of which came together at the symposium to discuss and debate their ongoing and developing models of working with men and boys for gender justice.
Delhi Declaration and Call to Action focus on accountability The symposium culminated in the release of the Delhi Declaration and Call to Action urging policy makers and state agencies, activists and developmental practitioners, scholars, researchers and individuals to :- |
Informal interaction among GS participants
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- Urgently acknowledge that gender inequalities are unacceptable no matter who is affected.
- Continue working with men and boys towards gender equality informed by feminist and human rights principles, organisations and movements and in a spirit of solidarity.
- Make visible the most effective ways men and boys can contribute to gender equality, without being used as mere instruments.
- Expose the link between patriarchy and the exploitation of people and environment, and to help boys and men change their behaviour from "power over” to "power with.”
- Commit to promoting social and economic inclusion through meaningful participation, deepened partnerships, and joint actions among social justice movements.
- Make sure that the beliefs, behaviours, relationships, and organisational structures reflect the above points and further to hold ourselves, as well as our friends, relatives, colleagues and allies accountable.
- Call on policy makers and donors to dramatically increase the resources available for all gender justice work and to include effective gender justice strategies in all development programmes.
- Work with men and boys from the programme and project level into policies and institutions.
- Put into place systems to ensure institutions and individuals are held accountable for gender equality.
Defining the areas of accountability for men and boys, the Call to Action urged men and boys to engage in the prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), to take accountability as fathers and caregivers, take equal responsibility for unpaid care work, to be responsible for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), giving concrete examples of the important areas of engagement.
The way forward
The symposium led to a series of new beginnings. At the most immediate level, the platforms of exchange created during the symposium have become the most vibrant spaces for sharing of ideas and events on gender and masculinities. The listserv Menengageconnect , for instance, set up to facilitate participation in the symposium, has now got 2000 members from 90 countries and membership has expanded beyond the symposium's participants.
The members of the India Organising Committee (IOC) who helped plan the symposium have rich experience that is being channelized through forums and collectives. A forum is being set up, comprising the committee members as well as others who participated in the symposium’s processes in various ways.
The Global Symposium was viewed not merely as an event, but as a process of advocacy on the issues related to working with men and boys, to address issues related to gender justice particularly Violence Against Women (VAW).
CHSJ ensured concrete outcomes in the country from the Global Symposium. Through extensive outreach amongst communities, social activist individuals, civil society organizations, policy makers and policy influencers and others through a variety of means, it has been ensured that the Global Symposium has had an impact on gender discourse and policy in India beyond the event itself.
The advocacy on masculinities that was introduced in a big way in India as part of the symposium's processes is being carried forward in many innovative ways. A citizen's network called MenEngage, Delhi, is spearheaded by CHSJ. An international resource-sharing centre on the issue is on the anvil. The feminist and gender rights movement has new energy and direction after this global exchange of ideas and experiences. The presentations, discussions and debates at the Symposium did not end there. It is now converted into a variety of knowledge products such as policy papers, discussion briefs, case studies, toolkits for users and other reports, all of which will contribute immensely to building a permanent repository of literature on men and masculinities to enrich the feminist movement.
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ABOUT AUTHORS
The article has been compiled by the 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium secretariat at Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ), India. CHSJ functioned as the Secretariat for organizing the Global Symposium in New Delhi, and continues to facilitate communications and advocacy for gender justice.
The article has been compiled by the 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium secretariat at Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ), India. CHSJ functioned as the Secretariat for organizing the Global Symposium in New Delhi, and continues to facilitate communications and advocacy for gender justice.
