WUNRN
Lebanon Nation-wide Media Campaign under the slogan
“Mest’edeen Nesma’ Haki” (which reads: “we are willing
– and here - to listen”[1])
Launching of Lebanon International Medical Corps
& ABAAD Men Center
“Why are you only talking to me?!... go and speak to him too!” a sentence echoed in the discourse of many women - survivors of Gender Based Violence - who have always recoursed to Listening and Counseling Services (LCS). The mainstream of women organizations have always limited LCS to women to raise their awareness, empower them, and offering them psycho-social and legal support. These services, among other strategies, aim at warding off the worsening effects of domestic violence.
While men have long been addressed as perpetrators, now they are also
being addressed as ‘‘partners’’ in prevention. All scientific approaches
nowadays refer to the importance of partnering with men as a main condition to
sustain efforts of combatting violence. Many studies have argued that in
associating men with violence, we should also ensure that men are part of the
solution. This has also been echoed in women’s need to positively include men
in addressing gender-based violence.
Hence, The International Medical Corps (IMC) & ABAAD took the initiative to establish a Men Center as a space where trained professionals treat men with respect, anonymity, and confidentiality. Through their specialized support, the Centre’s team provide men with ways of relieving stress, identifying triggers that can make them angry, discovering possible alternatives of control, learning new behaviours, and engaging with their loved ones in a less aggressive manner. The Men Center comes as a new approach in Lebanon, and in the Middle East, to revisit gender stereotypes. The Center also aims at changing individual men and boys’ understanding of acceptable behaviors that normalize violence as an essential component in ending violence against women and girls.
International Medical Corps & ABAAD and with the support of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality are launching a nation-wide media campaign. The aim of this campaign is to enhance and promote an institutionalized referral system and to spread the word about the Men Center in the country. The slogan of the campaign is: “Mest’edeen Nesma’ Haki” which reads: “we are willing – and here - to listen”. The slogan has a double meaning of “someone is speaking to you in an abusive manner”.
The campaign targets men residing in Lebanon, among other communities, in an inclusive approach to engage them in combating violence against women.
The TV spot, which is an essential part of
this media campaign, portrays four male figures assuming different professions.
All of these men reflect different socio-economic strata. However, all of them
express their emotional stress and anger in the same way, by assimilating
external stimulations – transmitted from daily routine. The emotional discharge
however, reflects behavioral manners that are accepted by society and often
expected from men. This in turn creates a vicious circle of violence with which
the victim becomes the perpetrator.
This media campaign consists of, in
addition to the TV spot, a Radio Spot, bill-boards, Posters, flyers, stickers,
etc…
“Partners for an equitable society, where
ALL citizens enjoy their full rights, human dignity and care”
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For more information, please do not
hesitate to contact
Ms. Zeinab Hijazi (IMC):
+961 70 158461 - zhijazi@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
Ms. Ghida Anani (ABAAD): +961
3 663052 - ghida.anani@abaadmena.org
To view the TV spot: http://www.youtube.com/user/ABAADMENA
Follow our news on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/abaadmena
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Ghida Anani
Founder
& Director of ABAAD
P.O.Box:
50-048 Beirut-Lebanon
Tel/fax:
+961 (1) 28 38 20;
+961 (1) 28
38 21
Web:
www.abaadmena.org