Gender-Based Violence: Kenyan Men Take Action
by Kennedy Odhiambo Otina, MEGEN Coordinator
MEGEN Blueprint for Transformation
1. Community Sensitization and Awareness Programs
MEGEN activities focus on prevention of violence through community sensitization programs targeting both men and women. We have also developed an awareness program and multimedia materials that are distributed throughout the country.
In the course of work in different communities, we come into contact with GBV victims. GBV is often about unequal power relations, and most victims tend to be the disadvantaged members of the society - for example, young girls or physically challenged women. To help them, we offer comprehensive support through rescue and referrals, as well as attending court sessions in solidarity with the victims.
2. Rapid Response
Rapid Response teams go into homes to assist victims of GBV whenever a case is reported and take immediate steps to get the victim out of danger, followed by referrals to psychological and legal aid, which we offer through other partners. We also attend court sessions with the victims to give them moral support in their lonely journey to seek legal redress. This often gets media attention, which helps send a strong warning to perpetrators that violence is a crime.
3. Men's Traveling Conference
Since 2003, we have marked the 16 days of activism with the Men's Traveling Conference (MTC). A team of men and women come together for an awareness campaign trip across the country, backed with multimedia materials, radio interviews, talk shows and newspaper advertisements. Although short-term, the impact of the MTC is tremendous, as it targets people who may otherwise be unable to attend a formal conference to discuss GBV-related issues. As the traveling team conducts one-on-one discussions with people in their villages, marketplaces and churches, gender experts on the team are able to identify the communities' needs for future intervention.
FEMNET
A violent man in my teenage years, I had a change of heart when my girlfriend, who is now my wife, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. For a long time, I thought that women were not important because my peers said so - until my daughter was born. For the love of my daughter, I started looking at women differently, creating a platform for change of attitude towards women, starting with my wife. However, the world outside my home is still violent to women and girls; therefore, I need to make the world of my daughter safer.
Until this happens, the struggle continues.
Over the years, the worldwide struggle towards eliminating gender-based violence has been spearheaded by women. Our project, Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN), supports that work by permeating patriarchal society and creating a new understanding of humanity.
We do it this way
FEMNET
Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) was founded in 2001 during a regional consultative meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET). The meeting, filled with participants from Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana, culminated in action plans at country and regional levels.
In Kenya, MEGEN members work to end GBV and the spread of HIV/AIDS through innovative strategies. MEGEN engages men from all walks of life, including political leaders, cultural gatekeepers and young boys. The aim is to transform men from old masculinity to new masculinity, where men value women as fellow human beings.
FEMNET
MEGEN membership is open to all ages and professional backgrounds, making it easy to reach diverse groups through men-to-men consultations. The project trains male activists on GBV issues, giving them "hands-on experience" in the communities and knowledge to tackle antagonizing situations with appropriate skills.
However, the process of change is full of challenges, including regular confrontations from men who view the work of empowering women as a betrayal to the male folk. In one instance, a man remarked, "My friend, your work is making these women grow horns...they will displace us from our homes if you continue."
This kind of feedback tells us that men don't yet understand gender inequality as a thing that concerns them.
Why partner with men and boys to eliminate GBV practices?
The project has developed strategies to expel the fear of the unknown among men by giving them the right definition of terms and facts about the true cost of violence.
Men who are convinced, committed and sensitized to issues of gender equality can be key allies in the involvement of other men. Every person has a platform from which they can take action. As professionals, activists, policy makers, family members and citizens, men and women have the possibility and responsibility to promote gender equality and end GBV.
Gender equality is an ideology whose time has come. It will impact the lives of men and women of all ages, classes, socio-economic status and faiths. The urgency to transform our society cannot be over-emphasized, especially with the growing threat of HIV/AIDS, which has very key intersections with GBV.
In Kenya, ideas about manhood are deeply ingrained. Many men grow up believing that dominant behaviour towards girls and women is part of being a man. Risk-taking and aggressive sexual behaviour are often applauded by peers and condoned by society. These stereotypes harm both women and men and erode possibilities of establishing satisfying, mutually respectful relationships. We have coined male-sensitive messages to challenge these attitudes and to stir debate around issues surrounding masculinity, relationships and sexuality.
Men involved in programs like MEGEN are the early adopters who recognize that change is both beneficial and inevitable. The escalation of GBV has been a consequence of male resistance to change, and especially their reluctance to embrace equality. Men and boys must be convinced that transforming society to make gender equality a norm will benefit them. Otherwise, the entire community stands to lose.
MEGEN values partnerships with other like-minded initiatives, to learn from each other and work together towards ending gender-based violence in all of our communities. For more information, contact the author at mentomen@femnet.or.ke.