Dear End-Violence Members, During the next few weeks we would like to examine a theme that many of you have raised: CHANGING MALE BEHAVIOUR as a strategy for ending violence against women. Working Group members have noted that there are many strategies for changing male behavior, e.g., changing attitudes, values and beliefs; ensuring that women have equal political and economic power; imposing stringent penalties on offenders, etc.
This week we would like to focus on strategies that aim to change attitudes, values and beliefs. These strategies include: * Changing definitions of masculinity, femininity, gender roles and relations * Promoting examples of men against violence, which can be adopted as models for others * Raising awareness among men generally, that they need to take responsibility to end violence against women * Organizing men to take action to end violence against women * Changing attitudes among men in influential positions, especially legal, political, and health professionals, to make them more aware of violence against women and supportive of actions to end it. We are particularly eager to hear from you regarding: * Innovative activities that aim to change men's behavior by changing attitudes, values and beliefs. Their successes, obstacles, lessons for policy-makers. * The "critical success factors" for programmes that aim to reduce violence against women by changing men's values and beliefs * Your recommendations for policy and programme priorities for United Nations agencies, governments, the private sector, and NGOs KEY QUESTIONS 1. Are there programmes in your country, which are trying to change men's and women's concepts of masculinity, femininity, and gender roles and relations, in order to reduce violence against women? Where do they take place -- Schools? Counseling sessions? What approaches -- and redefinitions -- are effective in reducing violence? Which are not? 2. Are there programmes that identify examples of men against violence, and publicise them as models for others? Are they effective? Are they aimed at particular age groups? What is key to their success -- or failure? 3. Are there programmes to change attitudes among male professionals -- e.g., those in the legal, political and health systems -- to gain their support for efforts to end violence against women? What is key to the success of those programmes? 4. Are there programmes to raise awareness among men and/or boys in the society at large, regarding the need for them to take responsibility to end violence against women? Have they been effective? Are assessment data available? 5. Are there programmes in your country, such as the White Ribbon Campaign in Canada, to organize men to take action to end violence against women? What strategies do they use -- Mass media? Education? Peer groups? How successful are they? Are there drawbacks to this approach? 6. Do you know of research demonstrating that changing cultural values, such as the concept of masculinity, is an effective way to reduce violence against women? 7. What should be the priorities of the UN? Governments? Private sector? 8. Does support for innovative programmes to change male behavior reduce resources for services to women? How important is this problem? What solution do you recommend? We look forward to hearing from all Working Group members regarding your own experience, and what works, what doesn't, and why. Warm thanks and regards, End-Violence Moderators ***End-violence is sponsored by UNIFEM and receives generous support from ICAP*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe end-violence OR type: unsubscribe end-violence Archives of previous End-violence messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/end-violence/hypermail/
