Transcript Boys and Men

GET TO WORK:
How to Work
with Men & Boys
to Prevent Violence
Understand the Context
• Gender norms and behaviours are
taught and learned
• The options available to men and women vary
from society to society and as gender norms
change over time
Making the Case to Men & Boys
• Violence hurts your daughters, sisters, mothers,
aunts, husbands, brothers, sons, and uncles
• Violence hurts you too - many boys and men
have suffered violence and sexual abuse
• Be part of the solution - you can help break the
silence on this issue
Making the Case to Men & Boys
(cont.)
• Fighting violence solves other
societal problems
• Preventing violence saves money
• Violence is about the misuse of power and
control - addressing it benefits everyone
Methods for Change
• Develop a Comprehensive
Response
– gender-based violence is entrenched at all
levels of society
– violence prevention efforts will be
successful when initiatives at different
levels are coordinated
– work with men and boys on a personal
level as well as in the broader context
Methods for Change (cont.)
• Work with Communities
as Partners
– men and boys in different communities have
experiences with violence -- they also have
different positive role models
– draw on these experiences to engage men
and boys as active partners in change
Methods for Change (cont.)
• Work with Men and Boys in
Culturally Relevant Ways
– differences in age, ethnicity, race, immigration
status, sexuality, economic status, education,
etc. produce different cultures
– to succeed, violence prevention efforts must
incorporate messages, strategies and models
that make sense in specific cultural contexts
Men & Boys as
Agents of Change
Men and Boys
• They can be part
of the solution
Men & Boys as
Agents of Change
• Dispel the “boys will be boys” perspective
• Provide learning opportunities that help
them resist the norms that encourage
violence (ie. TV, movies, games)
Men & Boys as
Agents of Change
• develop messages
that give abusive men
powerful motivation
to change
• stress the benefits of
a less violent world
Men & Boys as
Agents of Change
• Don’t assess blame to all men -this alienates them and puts them
on the defensive
• Challenge men and boys to take
opportunities and become agents
of change
Focus on Safety and Accountability
• Challenge all aspects of oppressive behaviour
(from sexist jokes to physical violence)
• Challenge Homophobia
• Remind men and boys that social pressures
aren’t responsible for men’s violence -individual men are
• Focus on holding ourselves accountable as
individuals, families, peer groups and communities
for the choices we make to stop violence
Work Toward Healing
• Just like women, men need spaces
to heal from their own experiences
with violence
• In this safe space they can learn about
how this violence plays out in their own
attitudes and behaviors
Use the Right Messenger
• The messenger is as important as the message when
reaching out to men and boys -- credibility is the key
• Mixed gender pairs or teams of educators who model
gender partnership demonstrate a strong message
• It’s valuable for men and boys to hear the voices and
experiences of women and girls but it is also true that
many men are more likely to listen to other men
• Messages might be more effective delivered by men
• Men can serve as role models and mentors
Use Positive, Relevant Messages
• Men and boys are deluged with negative
messages from TV, movies, video games
every day
• Violence prevention messages must
compete with these and present a
positive alternative
Resources
• White Ribbon Campaign
www.whiteribbon.ca
• Family Violence Prevention Fund,
End Abuse
www.endabuse.org