Running head: ENGAGING MEN IN ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Strategies for Involving Men in Addressing Gender-Based Violence

Richard Assanga
Strathmore University

ENGAGING MEN IN ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Strategies for Involving Men in Addressing Gender-Based Violence

A large portion of the Kenyan media over the past week has been filled with reports of
incidents in which two women who had been stripped naked by mobs. This was on account of
their allegedly indecent dressing. (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2014). It is important to
note that these were crimes carried out by men. Additionally, on December last year, the Uganda
government passed a law banning women from wearing miniskirts. (Daily Monitor, 2013).
Gender-based violence (GBV) can be described as any harm perpetrated against a
person, as a result of power of inequalities that are based on gender roles, (Otufale G, 2013).
Based on this definition it is clear that what the women mentioned in the above examples
experienced were acts of gender-based violence.
GBV is carried out in many forms and in many areas of day to day life. Examples include
domestic violence where women are mistreated and physically abused, violence in the workplace
in the form of sexual harassment, in communities that still practice female genital mutilation and
in times of national disaster or civil strife where cases of women being raped have been reported
(Foundation for Innovative Social Development Sri Lanka, 2012).
The primary cause of GBV has been identified as the unequal power that men have over
women. (Oxfam GB., 2009). This power imbalance has its origins in the roles that women and
men were traditionally assigned by society. Women were placed in a subordinate role to men
which led to the creation of a power imbalance that was then abused by men. (Foundation for
Innovative Social Development Sri Lanka, 2012)
There are several ways in which the struggle against GBV can be effectively addressed.
These include putting an end to a culture of impunity in society, changing societal attitudes that
foster violence against women, collection of information on interventions that have been

ENGAGING MEN IN ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

effective and ensuring that all stakeholders directly involved in the fight against GBV have
sufficient resources. However, many organizations today now focusing on prevention. They are
doing this by engaging men and boys in strategies that help put an end to GBV. (Migiro, 2010).
Examples of this are through training programs that try and change the view of seeing
men as perpetrators to seeing them as potential allies in the struggle against GBV (Cihangir,
Barreto & Ellemers 2014). This is can be especially effective in reaching out to other men
because a man is likely to be more receptive to a message from a fellow male friend than from a
stranger. This concept can be extended to the media where campaigns targeted at changing
mens attitudes in which fellow men are used as role models speaking out against GBV.
In conclusion, while there are many ways in which to combat GBV, an effective way is
the author feels that amongst other interventions, an effective way to engage men in combatting
GBV. This can be done by encouraging a gradual change in the attitudes that they had when
growing up. By removing the imbalance of power that exists because of gender-based roles and
promoting gender equality then GBV can be more effectively addressed.

ENGAGING MEN IN ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

References
British Broadcasting Corporation. (2014, November 18). Retrieved 11 27, 2014, from BBC
News Africa: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30093816
Daily Monitor. (2013, December 19). Retrieved 11 27, 2014, from Truth Every day Daily
Monitor: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/2119246/-/4qwev6//index.html
Foundation for Innovative Social Development Sri Lanka. (2012). Gender Based Violence.
Retrieved 11 27, 2014, from Foundation for Innovative Social Development:
http://www.fisd.lk/our-programmes/gender-based-violence.html
Migiro, A. R. (2010). Un Chronicle Vol. Xlvii No. 1 2010: Empowering Women: Progress Or
Not. United Nations Publications. Retrieved from
http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=5\_27VfA526oC
Otufale, G. A. (2013). Socio-cultural factors influencing gender-based violence on agricultural
livelihood activities of rural households in Ogun State, Nigeria. International Journal of
Biodiversity and Conservation, 5(1), 1.
Oxfam GB. (2009). Improving the Safety of Civilians: A Protection Training Pack G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Oxfam.
Cihangir, S., Barreto, M., Ellemers, N., (2014). Men as Allies Against Sexism.
doi:10.1177/2158244014539168