Global Symposium on
Engaging Men and Boys on
Achieving Gender
Equality
Rio de Janeiro
March 29 – April 3,
2009
PART ONE: PREAMBLE
We come from eighty countries. We are men and
women, young and old, working side by side with respect and shared goals. We
are active in community organizations, religious and educational institutions;
we are representatives of governments, NGOs and the United Nations. We speak
many languages, we look like the diverse peoples of the world and carry their
diverse beliefs and religions, cultures, physical abilities, and sexual and
gender identities. We are indigenous peoples, immigrants, and ones whose
ancestors moved across the planet. We are fathers and mothers, daughters and
sons, brothers and sisters, partners and lovers, husbands and wives.
What unites us is our strong outrage at the inequality
that still plagues the lives of women and girls, and the self-destructive
demands we put on boys and men. But even more so, what brings us together here
is a powerful sense of hope, expectation, and possibility for we have seen the
capacity of men and boys to change, to care, to cherish, to love passionately,
and to work for justice for all.
We are outraged by the pandemic of violence
women face at the hands of some men, by the relegation of women to second class
status, and the continued domination by men of our economies, of our politics,
of our social and cultural institutions, in far too many of our homes. We also
know that among women there are those who fare even worse because of their
social class, their religion, their language, their physical differences, their
ancestry, their sexual orientation, or simply where they live.
There are deep costs to boys and men from the
ways our societies have defined men’s power and raised boys to be men. Boys
deny their humanity in search of an armor-plated masculinity. Young men and
boys are sacrificed as cannon fodder in war for those men of political,
economic, and religious power who demand conquest and domination at any cost.
Many men cause terrible harm to themselves because they deny their own needs
for physical and mental care or lack services when they are in need.
Too many men suffer because our male-dominated
world is not only one of power of men over women, but of some groups of men
over others. Too many men, like too many women, live in terrible poverty, in
degradation, or are forced to do body- or soul-destroying work to put food on
the table.
Too many men carry the deep scars of trying to
live up to the impossible demands of manhood and find terrible solace in
risk-taking, violence, self-destruction or the drink and drugs sold to make a
profit for others. Too many men experience violence at the hands of other men.
Too many men are stigmatized and punished for
the simple fact they love, desire and have sex with other men.
We are here because we know that the time when
women stood alone in speaking out against discrimination and violence – that
this time is coming to an end.
We also know this: This belief in the
importance of engaging men and boys is no longer a remote hope. We see the
emergence of organizations and campaigns that are directly involving hundreds
of thousands, millions of men in almost every country on the planet. We hear
men and boys speaking out against violence, practicing safer sex, and
supporting women’s and girl’s reproductive rights. We see men caring, loving,
and nurturing for other men and for women. We see men who embrace the daily
challenges of looking after babies and children, and delight in their capacity
to be nurturers. We see many men caring for the planet and rejecting conquering
nature just as men once conquered women.
We are gathering not simply to celebrate our
first successes, but, with all the strength we possess, to appeal to parents,
teachers, and coaches, to the media and businesses, to our governments, NGOs,
religious institutions, and the United Nations, to mobilize the political will
and economic resources required to increase the scale and impact of work with
men and boys to promote gender equality. We know how critical it is that
institutions traditionally controlled by men reshape their policies and
priorities to support gender equality and the well-being of women, children,
and men. And we know that a critical part of that is to reshape the world of
men and boys, the beliefs of men and boys, and the lives of men and boys.
PART TWO: THE PLAN OF
ACTION
The Evidence Base is
There : New initiatives and
programs to engage men and boys in gender equality provides a growing body of
evidence that confirms it is possible to change men’s gender-related attitudes
and practices. Effective programs and processes have led men and boys to stand
up against violence and for gender equality in both their personal lives and
their communities. These initiatives not only help deconstruct harmful
masculinities, but reconstruct more gender equitable ones. Global research
makes it increasingly clear that working with men and boys can reduce violence,
improve relationships, strengthen the work of the women’s movement, improve
health outcomes of women and men, girls and boys, and that it is possible to
accelerate this change through deliberate interventions.
Working with the Women’s
Movement : The work with men
and boys stems from and honors the pioneering work and ongoing leadership of
the women’s movement. We stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggles for
women’s empowerment and rights in our commitment to contribute to the myriad
efforts to achieve gender equality. By working in close synergy with women’s
rights organizations, we aim to change individual men’s attitudes and
practices, and transform the imbalance of power between men and women in
relationships, families, communities, institutions and nations.
International and UN
Commitments : Through the UN and other international
agreements, the nations of the world have committed themselves to taking action
to involve men and boys in achieving of gender equality. Policy makers have an
obligation to act on these commitments to develop, implement and evaluate
policy and programming approaches to working with men. These commitments
provide civil society activists with leverage to demand rapid implementation.
These international commitments include:
- The 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development
- The Programme of Action of the World Summit on Social
Development (1995)
- The Beijing Platform for Action (1995)
- The twenty-sixth special session of the General
Assembly on HIV/AIDS (2001)
- The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW), at its 48th session in 2004
To achieve transformative and sustainable social change around gender
inequalities, we must go beyond scattered, short-term and small scale
interventions and harness all efforts towards systemic, large-scale, and
coordinated action. The
time has come for us to fulfill these commitments.
PART THREE: A PLATFORM
FOR ACTION
Violence against women : For too long, all forms of violence
including humiliation and emotional violenceagainst women and girls has been
seen primarily as a “women’s issue” and has been invisible, regarded as a
private matter and been the concern of the women’s movement. Patriarchal
structures sustain this impunity and endorses men’s silence on this issue. Men
and boys’ accountability and engagement for social transformation is essential
to bring violence free lives for women and girls.
Violence against children : Girls and boys suffer from abuse and
violence, including corporal and other forms of humiliating and degrading
punishment, in the home, , school and institutions that should protect them.
Gender norms are implicated in this violence by condoning different forms of
violence for boys and girls. Thiscalls for a life cycle approach, engaging with
boys to understand the consequences for violent behavior and take positive
action for violence prevention.
Violence Amongst Men : We also have to address different forms of
violence amongstmen and boys that include armed conflict, gang violence, \
school bullying and homophobic crimes. Inequity is also at the core of these
manifestations of violence, risk taking and seeking of dominance of other men.
Men’s own experiences of violence have devastating effects on us all and create
repeating cycles of violence. .
Violence In Armed
Conflict : In wars, communal, ethnic based and other forms
of armed conflict young men are treated as expendable and sent to their deaths
in large numbers. Militaries and other armed groups that violate international
laws on the treatment of civilians in conflict explicitly condone and even
encourage the use of sexual violence as a method of warfare, explicitly
privileging militarized models of masculinity and ensuring that those men who
do refuse violence are belittled and subject to stigma including homophobic
violence. Girls and boys are increasingly drawn into armed conflict, both as
victims and perpetrators. We call on national governments, to uphold Security
Council Resolutions including 1308, 1325, 1612 and 1820 and to proactively
contribute to the elimination of all forms of gendered violence, including in
times of armed conflict.
Men, work and the
global political economy : Men’s roles are strongly influenced by the global political
economy. The values competition, consumption, and aggressive accumulation and
assertion of power – military, economic, financial, social or cultural,
reinforce practices of domination and use of violence at the interpersonal and
community levels throughout the life-cycle. The dominant economic models have
led to increasing economic vulnerability, frequent forced migration and lost
livelihoods .. We must challenge the economic and political policies and
institutions that drive inequalities.
Fatherhood : Responsible, committed and involved
fatherhood is an essential component of any attempt to transform families and
societies into new norms that better reflect gender equity, child rights and
shared parenting responsibilities and enjoyment. It is in the home that gender
inequality is at its most powerful and sometimes most hidden. Positive
fatherhood therefore plays an important part in challenging the
intergenerational transmission of damaging stereotypes and power relations.
More commitment must be demonstrated to strengthening father roles and
supporting men to realize their potential to facilitate their children’s
attitudes and practices and, as men heal themselves from damaging and
restrictive negative gender roles.
Men as Caregivers : Societies expect women and girls to take
responsibility for the care work that sustains and replenishes families,
communities, economies and societies, including raising children and taking
care of the sick and the elderly. This frequently prevents women and girls from
accessing their fundamental human rights to health, education, employment and
full political participation. Governments, civil society organisations, UN
agencies, the private sector anddonor organisations must put in place
strategies that shift gender norms and encourage men to share with women the
joys and burdens of caring for others.
Sexual and Gender
Diversities and Sexual Rights : There are profound
diversities among men and boys in their sexual and gender identities and
relations. Formal and informal patterns of sexual injustice, homophobia, social
exclusion and oppression throughout the world shape men´s and boys’ access to
civil rights, health care, personal safety, and the recognition and affirmation
of their intimate relations. Constructions of masculinity in many contexts are
based on ruthless hostility to gendered sexual behaviours that contradict
dominant patriarchal norms, and policed through heterosexist violence.
Programming and policy engaging men and boys must recognize and affirm sexual
diversity among men and boys, and support the positive rights of men of all
sexualities to sexual pleasure and well-being.
Men’s and Boys’ Gender
Related Vulnerabilities
: Men and boys die early from preventable diseases, accidents and violence.
Most men have higher death rates for the same sicknesses that affect women. We
need to promote health among boys and young men and enable them to acquire
health seeking behaviours for themselves, as well as for their families. The
emotional and subjective level and personal experience of men and boys has to
be addressed to better understand the root problems like violence suicide, drug
abuse, accidents and the lack of a health seeking behaviour. Though it is not
often mentioned mental health dimensions are always present in other issues
dealing with sexual and reproductive health, fathering and gender based
violence. Gender responsive and socio-culturally sensitive mental health
programs and services are needed to address and prevent these issues at
community level.
Sexual Exploitation :
Men’s use of sexual violence results from social norms that condone the
exploitation of women and girls, boys and men. Objectification and
commodification of women and girls and boys and men normalizes violent and
coercive sexual behaviours. Ending sexual violence and exploitation requires
holistic strategies from the global to local level to engage men and boys in
challenging attitudes that give men dominance, and treating all human beings
with dignity and respect.
Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights : Sexual and reproductive
health and rights (SRHR) are largely considered as only a women’s domain,
leaving women and girls responsible for their own sexual health, and that of their
families and communities. In a sexual health context, men often do not have
access to or use services although they behave in ways that put them and their
partners at serious risk. It is essential that we work with men and boys to
fully support and promote the SRHR of women, girls, boys and other men, and
that health services address issues of power and proactively promote gender
equality. Such services should help men to identify and address their own
sexual and reproductive health needs and rights. This requires us to advance
sexual rights, and to adopt a positive, human-rights based approach to
everyone’s sexuality.
HIV and AIDS : HIV and AIDS continues to devastate
communities across the world. Gender inequalities and rigid gender roles
exacerbate the spread and the impact of the epidemic, making it difficult for
women and girls to negotiate sexual relations and leaving women and girls with
the burden of caring for those with AIDS related illnesses. Definitions of
masculinity that equate manhood with dominance over sexual partners, the
pursuit of multiple partners and a willingness to take risks while
simultaneously depicting health seeking behavior as a sign of weakness,
increase the likelihood that men will contract and pass on the virus. Governments,
UN agencies and civil society must take urgent action to implement
evidence-based prevention, treatment, care and support strategies that address
the gendered dimensions of HIV and AIDS, meet the needs of people living with
HIV and AIDS, ensure access to treatment, challenge stigma and discrimination
and support men to reduce their risk taking behaviors and improve their access
to and use of HIV services.
Youth : Young men and women have a right to early
and active involvement in initiatives that promote gender equality. Societies
must create an environment where girls and boys are viewed as equals, enjoy
dignified labour and easy access to quality education, and live lives free from
violence, including forced marriage, are supported to create equitable relationships,
Environment : One result of harmful masculinities has
been the attempt to dominate nature. With catastrophic climate change and
laying the oceans, the forests, and land to waste, this quest has had
disastrous outcomes. All levels of our societies must urgently act to reverse
the damage done and facilitate the process of healing.
Celebrating diversity : We stress that debate, action and policies
on gender relations and gender equities will have the most effective and
positive impact when they include an understanding and celebrating of our
differences based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual and gender diversities,
religion, physical ability and class.
Resources : Resources allocated to women’s equality
must be increased. We seek not to divert resources from these initiatives but
argue for the need to increase resources overall to achieve gender equality,
including men and boys. .
Strengthening the
evidence base : It is vital to
continue to build the evidence base for gender transformative programs through
research and program evaluations, to determine which strategies are most
successful in different cultural contexts.
Part Four: The Call To
Action
1. Individuals should take action within their
communities and be agents of change to promote gender equality.
2. Community based organisations should continue
their groundbreaking work to challenge the status quo of gender and other
inequalities and actively model social change.
3. Non-governmental organisations should develop
and build on programs, interventions and services that are based on the needs,
rights and aspirations of their communities, are accountable and reflect the
principles in this document. They should develop synergies with other relevant
social movements, and establish mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on
government commitments.
4. Governments should repeal all discriminatory
laws and act on their existing international and UN obligations and
commitments, prioritise and allocate resources to gender transformative
interventions, and develop policies, frameworks and concrete implementation
plans that advance this agenda, including through working with other
governments and adherence to the Paris Principles.
5. Private sector should promote workplaces that
are gender equitable and free from violence and exploitation, and direct their
corporate social responsibility towards inclusive social change.
6. Media and Entertainment industries role in
maintaining and reinforcing traditional and unequal gender norms has to be
addressed, confronted and alternatives supported.
7. Donors should redirect their resources towards
the promotion of inclusive programming for gender equality and inclusive social
justice, including changes to laws and policies, and develop synergies amongst
donors.
8. The United Nations must show leadership in
these areas, innovatively and proactively support member states to promote
gender equitable and socially transformative law, policy and practice,
including through interagency coordination as articulated in the One UN
approach.
We must invest in men and boys to become
engaged in changing their behavior and attitudes towards gender equality
supported by communities, systems and national policies.