38/24 Review of promising practices and lessons learned, existing strategies and United Nations and other initiatives to engage men and boys in promoting and achieving gender equality, in the context of eliminating violence against women - Note by the Secretariat

GE.18-06267(E)



Human Rights Council Thirty-eighth session

18 June–6 July 2018 Agenda items 2 and 3

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the

High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Review of promising practices and lessons learned, existing strategies and United Nations and other initiatives to engage men and boys in promoting and achieving gender equality, in the context of eliminating violence against women

Note by the Secretariat

Summary

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution

35/10. It highlights key lessons learned and promising practices on engaging men and

boys to promote and achieve gender equality.

United Nations A/HRC/38/24

Contents

Page

I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3

II. Opportunities and risks of engaging men and boys ....................................................................... 3

III. Ongoing efforts and challenges faced ........................................................................................... 6

A. Combating harmful practices ................................................................................................ 6

B. Education and awareness-raising .......................................................................................... 7

C. Fostering an equal share of responsibility in domestic life .................................................. 8

D. Promoting gender equality in health .................................................................................... 9

E. Breaking the cycle of violence ............................................................................................. 10

F. Establishing a legal and policy framework ........................................................................... 11

G. Building institutional capacity .............................................................................................. 12

H. Social and community mobilization ..................................................................................... 12

I. Methodologies for a gender-transformative approach .......................................................... 13

IV. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................................... 15

I. Introduction

1. In its resolution 35/10, the Human Rights Council provided detailed

recommendations on the prevention of and the response to violence against women and

girls,1 and requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights (OHCHR) to review promising practices and lessons learned, existing strategies and

United Nations and other initiatives to engage men and boys in promoting and achieving

gender equality, in particular efforts to challenge gender stereotypes and the negative social

norms, attitudes and behaviours that underlined and perpetuated violence against women

and girls, and to make recommendations for further action by States and the international

community in that regard. The present report is prepared in response to that request.

2. In preparation for this report, OHCHR called for submissions and received

contributions from 19 member States, 10 national human rights institutions, 3 United

Nations entities, 1 public-private partnership and 21 civil society organizations and other

stakeholders.2 OHCHR also conducted research on the relevant jurisprudence of the United

Nations human rights mechanisms and the relevant strategies and initiatives of the

Organization and other entities.

II. Opportunities and risks of engaging men and boys

3. Over the past decade, there has been increasing emphasis on engagement with men

and boys 3 in gender equality efforts, including interventions to eliminate all forms of

violence against women and girls.4 In response, in June 2017, at its thirty-fifth session, the

Human Rights Council held a panel discussion entitled “Accelerating efforts to eliminate

violence against women: engaging men and boys in preventing and responding to violence

against women and girls”. The panel emphasized the strong impact of harmful gender

stereotypes on persistent gender-based violence against women and the importance of equal

gender relations between men and women in eliminating gender-based violence against

women.5 Further, in September 2017, in its resolution 35/10, the Council called upon States

to take action to prevent violence against women and girls by, among other means, fully

engaging men and boys, alongside women and girls, and addressing the root causes of

gender inequality, including gender stereotypes and negative social norms and unequal and

patriarchal power relations.6

4. Experience has demonstrated that, although engagement with men and boys in

achieving gender equality presents significant opportunities, it can also carry certain risks.

In order to maximize the impact of engaging men and boys in achieving gender equality,

the nature and context of such engagement must be analysed and understood.

5. The ultimate aim of efforts to engage men and boys is to rectify discriminatory

power relations based on the subordination of women and harmful gender stereotypes,

1 See paras. 9–10.

2 Submissions are available at

www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/EngagingMenBoysPromotingAchievingGenderEqu

ality.aspx.

3 In the present report, “boys” mean those who are under 18 years of age, in accordance with the

Convention on the Rights of the Child.

4 E.g. Human Rights Council resolution 32/19 and the HeForShe campaign (www.heforshe.org) of the

United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women). In

submissions by Norway and Argentina, it was also reported that regional conferences on engaging

men and boys in gender justice and violence prevention were convened in 2017 among Nordic, and

Latin American and Caribbean countries, respectively.

5 A/HRC/37/36.

6 See para. 9 (a) and (b).

which lie at the heart of gender-based discrimination and violence against women — a

gender-transformative approach. Inequalities between women and men have persisted

throughout history and in all regions of the world.7 Gender-based violence against women

is one of the most significant manifestations of discrimination against women,8 as it is one

of the fundamental social, political and economic means by which the subordinate position

of women with respect to men and their stereotyped roles are perpetuated.9 Changing these

dynamics requires recognition that men and boys play a role not only in perpetrating such

violence, but also as community members who need to support more equal power relations.

6. It is acknowledged in the preamble (para. 14) to the Convention on the Elimination

of Discrimination against Women that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the

role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality between men

and women. Article 5 (a) of the Convention places a legal obligation on States parties to

modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to

achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices that are based

on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles

for men and women as one of the means to eliminate discrimination against women. The

Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women also

observed that the root causes of gender-based violence against women included the

ideology of men’s entitlement and privilege over women, social norms regarding

masculinity, the need to assert male control or power, enforce gender roles, or prevent,

discourage or punish what was considered to be unacceptable female behaviour10 and the

need to transform them.

7. Engaging men and boys as partners in the effort to bring about gender equality holds

the potential to engage them in resisting and rejecting harmful masculinity, misogyny and

discriminatory gender roles, which is key for the achievement of gender equality and the

elimination of gender-based violence.11 Such engagement should recognize that men and

boys interface with the implications of gender inequality from different positions. They can

be perpetrators of discrimination against women and gender-based violence, agents for

change, or victims/witnesses of violence — including violence against children. Men and

boys can also be victims of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, in various

contexts. Perpetration of such violence is deeply intertwined with the same discriminatory

gender norms that cause gender-based violence against women and girls. Likewise, men

7 The World Economic Forum (The Global Gender Gap Report 2017 (Geneva, 2017), pp. v–viii)

indicates that the global gender gap of an average 32 per cent remains to be closed across the four

dimensions of the Index (education, health, economic participation and political empowerment) in

order to achieve universal gender parity. In 2017, the global gender gap saw the first reverse trend

since 2006, indicating that the overall global gender gap would take 100 years to close, compared

with 83 years in 2016.

8 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 35

(2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19, para. 1.

9 Ibid., para. 10. See also the eleventh preambular paragraph of Human Rights Council resolution 35/10.

10 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 35,

para. 19.

11 The Committee on the Rights of the Child was a pioneer in recognizing that men and boys must be

actively encouraged as strategic partners and allies, and along with women and girls, must be

provided with opportunities to increase their respect for one another and their understanding of how

to stop gender discrimination and its violent manifestations (see its general comment No. 13 (2011)

on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence, para. 72 (b)). In the context of harmful

practices, both the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women stressed the need to empower girls and women and boys and men to

contribute to the transformation of traditional cultural attitudes that condone harmful practices, act as

agents of such change and strengthen the capacity of communities to support such processes (see joint

general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against

Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2014) on harmful

practices, para. 17).

and boys can be engaged as members of a community or society to join efforts to mobilize

demand for gender equality and women’s rights or as political, traditional, community,

religious or youth leaders to advocate for gender equality and denounce discriminatory

social norms, such as harmful practices,12 and misogynist hate crimes and hate speeches.

Men can be engaged: as teachers to provide gender-transformative and human rights-

sensitive education; as health professionals and social workers to deliver public service

without discrimination or discriminatory stereotypes; as journalists and media workers to

transform negative gender stereotypes in the media; and as workers and business managers

to eliminate gender inequality and discrimination against women at work. Men who are in

positions of authority, such as members of parliaments, the judiciary, law enforcement and

Governments, also play a pivotal role in discharging a State’s legal responsibility towards

gender equality and the prohibition of discrimination against women.

8. Importantly, for efforts to engage men and boys to successfully contribute towards a

transformative gender-equality agenda, they must be fully informed of the views and

experiences of women and girls, respectful of their rights and autonomy and

complementary to — and supportive of — women’s rights movements. In fact, women’s

organizations, feminist groups and organizations working on the rights of women and girls

take the lead in — or partner with — many initiatives to engage men and boys in gender

equality issues. In this regard, the Council, in its resolution 35/10, called upon States to

fully engage men and boys, alongside women and girls, in achieving gender equality and

eliminating violence against women and girls.13 In the same resolution, the Council further

recognizes the critical role of women and girls, as well as of women’s and youth

organizations and organizations led by women and girls, as agents of change and urges

States to meaningfully engage with women and girls as active and equal participants in the

planning, design, implementation and monitoring of legislation, policies and programmes,

including programmes aimed at engaging men and boys.14

9. As discussed above, engaging men and boys does not simply mean involving them.

Such engagement must lead to gender transformation. While there is no universally agreed

definition, the term “gender-transformative approach” in the present report refers to those

approaches that promote a shift from gender norms and stereotypes that are based on the

idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of the sexes and unequal power relations

between them to gender relations that are based on gender equality and respect for human

rights.15 Gender-transformative approaches to engaging men and boys also imply changing

understanding about masculinity, i.e. how male identities are socially constructed and

defined, with a view to challenging dominant and violent types of masculinity.

10. When interventions that focus on men and boys are not gender transformative, they

may not only detract from the realization of gender equality or the elimination of gender-

based violence against women, but in fact perpetuate and reinforce gender inequality and

harmful gender stereotypes.16 In her report in 2014, the Special Rapporteur on violence

against women, its causes and consequences expressed concern about the trend of setting

up specialized men’s organizations to engage men and boys in gender equality issues,

observing that many ideologies about the role of men and boys do not focus on women as

autonomous beings, disproportionately affected by inequality, discrimination and

12 Including child, early and forced marriages, female genital mutilation and honour killings. For more

detail, see joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women and general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the

Child.

13 See para. 9 (a).

14 Human Rights Council resolution 35/10, para. 5.

15 See, for example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

art. 5 (a). See also the advocacy brief of the MenEngage Alliance and the United Nations Population

Fund (UNFPA): “Engaging men, changing gender norms: directions for gender-transformative

action”. Available at https://www.unfpa.org/resources/brief-engaging-men-changing-gender-norms.

16 See A/HRC/26/38, paras. 70–75.

violence.17 While men and boys may also suffer from discriminatory gender norms and

stereotypes, ignoring the relative advantages and privileges men and boys enjoy as a result

of such norms and stereotypes risks shifting the focus away from women and girls, who are

disproportionately disadvantaged by them.

11. Other strategies of engagement with men and boys build on the idea that women

deserve respect as mothers, sisters, wives and so on. These approaches may appear to be

strategic in certain contexts of highly discriminatory societies or in order to implicate

people in a more personal way. However, they risk maintaining social norms that value

women only in their relation to others, rather than as autonomous human beings, entitled to

all human rights. Such approaches also reaffirm patriarchal notions of men as “protectors”

and, by extension, women as “victims”.

12. Some experiences indicate that even with good intentions, interventions to engage

men and boys may have the inadvertent outcome of enhancing discriminatory gender

stereotypes.18 Such interventions need constant monitoring of their impacts to avoid adverse

effects.19 Increasing support for engagement by men and boys, without attention to the

potential adverse impact, may result in shifting support and resources away from women’s

empowerment and women’s leadership and reinstating men’s domination. Such a result

would be antithetical to gender equality because, as stated by the Special Rapporteur on

violence against women, it would empower the group to which perpetrators belong —

which overwhelmingly continues to maintain economic, political and societal structures of

power, privilege and opportunity — to offer protection from violence and discrimination.20

13. Finally, a potential risk of the framing as “engaging men and boys” is that such

framing may limit the understanding of discriminatory gender relations and overlook

discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons,

including lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls. Violence against

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, including against non-binary

persons, and violence against women and girls share common root causes, including the

need to protect the existing power structure and prevent, discourage or punish behaviours

that are perceived as challenging traditional gender norms and stereotypes. Violence against

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons also hinders efforts to eliminate

violence against women. For example, homophobia and transphobia may make men and

boys reluctant to renounce patriarchal masculinity, for fear of being perceived as gay if they

do not behave violently against women, girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and

intersex persons.21 Therefore, for interventions to be gender transformative, they have to

combat gender-based violence in all its forms.

III. Ongoing efforts and challenges faced

14. Contributions from various stakeholders and the research conducted pointed to a

variety of initiatives and strategies to engage men and boys to promote and achieve gender

equality, in particular to eliminate gender-based violence against women and girls. The

present section summarizes several examples of such efforts

17 Ibid., paras. 72–73.

18 See, for example, the submissions by the Centre for Health and Social Justice and Family Planning

New South Wales.

19 E.g. the submission by the MenEngage Alliance.

20 See A/HRC/26/38, para. 72.

21 Submission by Puntos de Encuentro. See also the submission by Sonke Gender Justice.

A. Combating harmful practices

15. Harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, female genital

mutilation, and honour-related killings are deeply rooted in social attitudes according to

which women and girls are regarded as inferior to men and boys based on stereotyped roles.

Harmful practices are also used to justify gender-based violence as a form of protection or

control of women and children by men.22

16. Experience shows that efforts to end harmful practices, such as female genital

mutilation and child marriage, point to the influential role of religious and traditional

leaders, who are dominantly men, in changing those attitudes and beliefs.23 Case studies in

Africa suggested that faith leaders could be a critical intermediary in distilling positive

information, particularly for men.24 In this regard, the African Union Campaign to End

Child Marriage, held from 2014 to 2017, used traditional and religious leaders to prevent

faith-based support for child marriage. Community awareness campaigns led by chiefs

entailed thousands of public declarations to stop celebrating child marriage.25

17. In their roles as family members (for example, as sons, husbands, fathers or

grandfathers), men and boys were also identified as key potential agents for change.26 For

example, fathers need to be engaged to help change their understanding of what it means to

“love” a daughter and to encourage a shift in mindsets from “protecting her” to

“empowering her”. Deconstructing the meaning of protection and linking it to human rights

is crucial for families and communities to challenge the idea, for example, that marriage is

to protect girls’ safety in contexts of insecurity and violence.

B. Education and awareness-raising

18. Gender norms influence us all. As boys and girls we learn our gender roles from an

early stage, internalizing these throughout childhood and adolescence, and by the time we

transition into adulthood, these norms are deeply embedded. Gender norms may live from

generation to generation, to be passed on through the parent-child relationship. They shape

how we understand our own identities. They play an integral role in determining how we

relate to others, including to people of a different sex than their own.

19. Helping to disrupt harmful gender norms is a key objective of human rights-based

education. The crucial role of education in promoting equal gender relations and

transforming discriminatory gender stereotypes was emphasized by many submissions and

initiatives. 27 In particular, several submissions and initiatives recognized that

comprehensive sexuality education for boys and girls was a key strategic intervention.28 It

was reported that, in several countries, misrepresentations of the purpose of educational

22 Joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against

Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, paras. 6–7.

23 See https://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Engaging-Men-and-Boys-to-End-the-

Practice-of-Child-Marriage1.pdf.

See also UNFPA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Joint Evaluation: UNFPA-

UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Accelerating Change — 2008–

2012, Volume I (New York, 2013), box 23, p. 33. Available at

https://www.unicef.org/evaluation/files/FGM-report_11_14_2013_Vol-I.pdf.

24 See Transforming Masculinities in the submission by Georgetown University.

25 See A/HRC/35/5, para. 34.

26 See https://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Engaging-Men-and-Boys-to-End-the-

Practice-of-Child-Marriage1.pdf.

27 E.g. submissions by Colombia, France, Honduras, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and

Uzbekistan.

28 Submissions by Honduras and Mexico.

curricula intended to promote gender equality, and transform traditional gender roles,

fuelled strong resistance by parents.29

20. Gender-transformative early childhood development programing was identified as

an effective strategy for helping counter discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes and

for encouraging more equal gender relations between boys and girls, including children

with diverse sexual orientations or gender identities and gender non-conforming. Such

programming engages both men and women — parents, caregivers, community leaders and

educators — for the purpose of changing the way children are taught so that entrenched

discriminatory norms and attitudes based on gender are challenged from early age. It also

ensures that girls and boys are provided with equal care and opportunities. Reportedly, such

interventions have also promoted support among men for care work and emotional

engagement in the upbringing of their children.30

21. The arts, media and other forms of communication can either exacerbate or help

transform discriminatory gender stereotypes. Some submissions stressed the need to

address discriminatory gender stereotypes in the media and other communication channels,

including in the public expression of sexism and anti-feminism online, 31 as well as in

commercial advertisements.32

22. Many submissions highlighted the power of the innovative use of art, the media and

other communication tools in support of gender equality, the elimination of gender-based

violence and the transformation of discriminatory gender stereotypes. Such interventions

include the use of soap operas, 33 rap music, 34 online comics, 35 video blogs 36 and art

competitions37 to disseminate gender-transformative messages. An online media campaign

for gender equality in Slovenia included the creation of a virtual “museum of stereotypes”,

which invited users to share their perceptions.38 It was reported that these interventions had

a strong positive impact on the perceptions and attitudes of adolescent boys. For example,

in the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands,39 boys reacted very positively to the

message of popular rap artists asserting non-violent masculinity. 40 In Nicaragua, an

evaluation of the impact of a gender-transformative television series revealed that the series

had the strongest positive impact on 13–17-year-old boys in conservative areas in terms of

changes in attitudes towards gender equality, including increased recognition of women’s

rights and the importance of consent in sexual relations, as well as the increased acceptance

of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.41

29 E.g. the submission by the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights of France.

30 Submission by Plan International.

31 Submission by Sweden.

32 Submission by Czechia.

33 E.g. the television series “Sexto Sentido” and “Contracorriente” in Nicaragua. See the submission by

Puntos de Encuentro.

34 E.g. If I Could Go Back in Time, by Palestinian hip-hop band DAM (Da Arabian MCs) in

collaboration with UN-Women. See www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2012/11/palestinian-hip-

hop-group-dam-raises-awareness-of-honour-killings-through-a-powerful-music-video.

See also the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands (www.rutgers.international/what-we-

do/positive-masculinities/beat-macho-campaign) and the submission by Rutgers.

35 See, for example, the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands and the submission by Rutgers.

36 Ibid.

37 E.g. the annual art competition “My human rights” organized by the Slovak National Centre for

Human Rights. See the submission by the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights.

38 Towards Equalizing Power Relations Between Women and Men project. See the submission by

Slovenia.

39 See www.rutgers.international/what-we-do/positive-masculinities/beat-macho-campaign and the

submission by Rutgers.

40 Submission by Rutgers.

41 Submission by Puntos de Encuentro.

C. Fostering an equal share of responsibility in domestic life

23. Unequal responsibilities of men and women in domestic life are a major factor

limiting the participation of women and girls in public life and economic activity. Such an

unbalanced distribution also exacerbates the exposure of women and girls to domestic and

intimate partner violence. Gender stereotypes perpetuate the image of childcare and

domestic work as being women’s tasks. Men, on the other hand, “must” be the main

breadwinners. This results in a disproportionately heavy domestic work burden for women

and girls, confining them to the private sphere and restricting their access to education and

their participation in political, economic, social and cultural activities. Therefore, many

initiatives focus on engaging men and boys to accept and embrace an equal share of

childcare and domestic work, as well as to accept and support women’s empowerment

more broadly.

24. For example, introducing or expanding paternity leave was considered strategic for a

gender-transformative impact in several countries. 42 Sweden reported that men’s equal

sharing of parental leave with women had proven to have a positive effect, including in

terms of an increase in women’s wages, improved relationships between fathers and their

children and a reduction in violence.43 In Brazil, the legal framework for early childhood,

including the law that extends paternity leave 44 and the law that prohibits corporal

punishment, 45 is considered a key legal intervention in transforming men’s role in the

family. 46 It was reported that programmes on preventing violence that targeted young

fathers in Rwanda47 and the post-conflict northern region of Uganda48 and that promoted the

positive engagement of men in childcare and their equal sharing of childcare

responsibilities with women led to a reduction in intimate partner violence and violence

against children.

25. In Brazil and Rwanda, civil society organizations are taking initiatives to facilitate

men’s support for women’s economic empowerment. Such initiatives are based on the

research that suggests that women might experience higher levels of violence by male

partners when they have higher levels of income than their male partners,49 as such a state

of affairs might be perceived as a threat to a man’s role as breadwinner. In Brazil, an

initiative aims to transform men’s negative gender attitudes towards women’s economic

activities, in support of the national Bolsa Família programme. 50 The Bolsa Família

Companion programme shifted men’s perceptions and made them accept a larger

proportion of childcare and domestic responsibilities, thus freeing up women’s time for

economic activities. Male participants in the programme also accepted more equal decision-

making power for women concerning family spending.51 The initiative in Rwanda indicated

that involving men and their partners in the community activities and discussions on

42 E.g. Brazil, Czechia, France, the Netherlands and Sweden. See the submissions by Czechia, France,

Promundo Brazil and Rutgers. See also Programme P, a toolkit for reaching expectant fathers as

partners in maternal and child health and violence prevention, developed by Promundo.

43 Submission by Sweden.

44 Brazil, Act No. 13257 of 8 March 2016. Available at www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-

2018/2016/lei/l13257.htm.

45 Brazil, Act No. 13010/2014 of 26 March 2014. Available at

http://legislacao.planalto.gov.br/legisla/legislacao.nsf/Viw_Identificacao/lei%2013.010-

2014?OpenDocument.

46 Submission by Promundo Brazil.

47 Programme P. See the submission by Promundo United States.

48 The Responsible, Engaged and Loving Fathers initiative. See http://irh.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/10/REAL_Fathers_Prevention_Science_2016.pdf.

49 Submission by Promundo United States.

50 See https://promundoglobal.org/programs/bolsa-familia-companion-program.

51 See https://promundoglobal.org/2016/08/02/final-stages-economic-empowerment-project-promundo-

trains-hundreds-professionals-gender-transformative-methodologies.

women’s participation in economic and public life resulted in increased women’s income,

as well as in greater participation of men in childcare and in a reduction in couples’

conflicts.52

D. Promoting gender equality in health

26. Violations of the right to health, in particular sexual and reproductive health and

rights, undermine the enjoyment of a wide range of human rights by women and girls and

thus exacerbate gender inequality. Certain of these violations are also forms of gender-

based violence, such as forced sterilization, forced abortion, forced pregnancy,

criminalization of abortion, denial or delay of safe abortion and/or post-abortion care,

forced continuation of pregnancy, and abuse and mistreatment of women and girls seeking

sexual and reproductive health information, goods and services. 53 In addition, lack of

enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights has implications for the enjoyment

of other human rights, such as education and work, the deprivation of which can also

contribute to the heightened risk of women and girls to violence. Engaging men and boys is

particularly relevant in the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights, in which

gender norms play a powerful role in dictating the terms under which couples choose to

engage in sexual intercourse, whether they do so safely, whether they seek to have children

and how they communicate about their health status.

27. The World Health Organization has documented the positive impact of engaging

men and boys in interventions that are relevant to women’s health.54 The evidence reviewed

confirmed that men and boys had changed their behaviour and attitudes as a result of

programme interventions focused on sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention,

maternal and newborn health, fatherhood and/or gender-based violence, with positive

results for men, their partners, their children and their families.55

28. Several submissions reported initiatives focused on engaging men and boys in the

area of sexual and reproductive health.56 For example, Colombia has established a National

Intersectoral Commission for the Promotion and Guarantee of Sexual Rights and

Reproductive Rights, which promotes strategies for the transformation of gender roles and

gender inequality.57 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with

civil society organizations, has produced a number of studies, tools and guidance over the

years on engaging men and boys in gender equality, in particular in the areas of sexual and

reproductive health and gender-based violence against women.58

E. Breaking the cycle of violence

29. Studies show that those who are exposed to or experience violence, ranging from

corporal punishment, bullying, child abuse and exploitation, intimate partner violence and

street violence to armed conflict, are at increased risk of becoming perpetrators of violence

against women and girls during later stages of their lives.59 As the majority of perpetrators

52 See https://promundoglobal.org/programs/journeys-of-transformation.

53 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 35,

para. 16.

54 Gary Barker, Christine Ricardo and Marcos Nascimento, Engaging Men and Boys in Changing

Gender-based Inequity in Health: Evidence from Programme Interventions (Geneva, World Health

Organization, 2007). Available at www.who.int/gender/documents/Engaging_men_boys.pdf.

55 Ibid., pp. 27–29.

56 E.g. submissions by Austria, Family Planning New South Wales, the MenEngage Alliance, Plan

International and Promundo United States.

57 Submission by Colombia.

58 See https://www.unfpa.org/engaging-men-boys.

59 See Human Rights Council resolution 35/10, preamble.

of gender-based violence against women are men and boys, supporting men and boys who

experienced or were exposed to violence is one of the key measures for violence prevention.

In particular, many interventions aimed to support men to build non-violent and caring

fatherhood.60 Such initiatives include increased engagement of expectant or young fathers

in maternal and child health. The Responsible, Engaged and Loving Fathers initiative, a

community-mentoring programme engaging young, first-time fathers to reduce intimate

partner violence and physical punishment of children in Uganda, reported that it reduced

intimate partner violence and physical punishment of children committed by young

fathers.61

30. Several States reported efforts made to rehabilitate the male perpetrators of gender-

based violence against women and girls, through the provision of treatment and

counselling. 62 It was pointed out that open communication in a safe space created by

individual and/or group counselling helped men to share their own life stories and

perceptions, including reflecting on insecurity and the fear of losing power. Feeling that

their experiences were being heard provided an opportunity to learn about non-violent and

more equitable ways of relating to others.63 Caution was suggested, however, as the safety

of victims/survivors must be secured in such interventions.

31. Men and boys experiencing or witnessing the traumatic events of violence in

conflict and post-conflict situations are later associated with higher levels of domestic and

intimate partner violence.64 The global strategy on sexual and gender-based violence of the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 65 includes

engaging men and boys as one of the six action areas. It recognizes men and boys both as

the potential agents of change as well as potential victims of sexual and gender-based

violence.66 In Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic, UNHCR involves men and boys to

develop awareness-raising materials on sexual and gender-based violence and its

prevention. The active involvement of youth groups, men and boys as agents of change is

also a key feature of the UNHCR response in Mauritania and Yemen. In the displacement

camps of Kachin State in Myanmar, UNFPA supports a network of male volunteers to raise

awareness of the need to end violence and the need to intervene if it happens. Community-

based programmes, such as those targeting both men and women in post-conflict situations

to help them recover from trauma, 67 rebuild their lives and adopt positive coping

mechanisms, as well as those targeting young persons (both male and female) to strengthen

their agency and voice to respond to negative gender norms,68 resulted in positive outcomes.

F. Establishing a legal and policy framework

32. Establishing a comprehensive legal and policy framework on gender equality, non-

discrimination and the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence is the foundation

for progress towards gender equality. A number of contributions indicated that a lack of or

60 Programme P of MenCare, a global fatherhood campaign. See https://men-

care.org/resources/program-p. Submissions by Georgetown University and Promundo United States.

61 Submission by Georgetown University.

62 Submissions by Japan, Mexico and Norway.

63 Submission by MenCare.

64 Submission by Promundo United States.

65 UNHCR, “Action against sexual and gender-based violence: an updated strategy”, 2011.

66 As regards sexual and gender-based violence against men and boys, see, for example, the report of the

Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. Available from

www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoHSouthSudan/Pages/Index.aspx. Several other United

Nations investigations have also addressed sexual and gender-based violence against men and boys.

67 Living Peace initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. See the submission by Promundo.

68 The Gender Roles, Equality and Transformation project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Mozambique and Uganda (see http://irh.org/projects/great_project). See also the submission by

Georgetown University.

weak legal and policy frameworks or the existence of discriminatory law undermine the

capacity of actors, including Governments, national human rights institutions and civil

society organizations to combat gender-based violence against women. 69 Men are often in

decision-making positions with respect to efforts to reform such laws and policies, and thus

engaging them will be crucial.

33. Integrating gender-transformative interventions, including those that engage men

and boys, in long-term public policies and programmes on violence prevention and

promotion of gender can be an effective measure to scale up efforts to transform social

norms and attitudes.70 Some countries recognized the role of men and boys in their national

policies and strategies on gender equality or violence against women. For instance, Egypt

has adopted its National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, which

recognizes the collective responsibility of men and boys in women’s empowerment.71 The

National Policy against Gender-based Violence in Rwanda, adopted in 2011,72 recognizes

not only women and girls but men and boys as victims of gender-based violence and

acknowledges the need to foster dialogue between men and women, and boys and girls,

aimed at changing the cultural, social, economic and other systems and structures that deny

human rights and equality between women and men. 73 Sweden has adopted a national

strategy to prevent and combat men’s violence against women for the period between 2017

and 2026, which has a specific focus on universal violence prevention, targeting

stereotypical norms of masculinity as a cause of violence.74

G. Building institutional capacity

34. Public and private institutions, including in the executive, the judiciary, parliaments

and in educational and health systems, are key to promoting gender equality and to

preventing and responding to gender-based violence. Therefore, it is crucial that these

institutions adopt a gender-transformative approach, including in their interactions with

men and boys. Some submissions highlighted that some of the challenges for these

institutions to adopt a gender-transformative approach included gender bias and the lack of

understanding by the professionals working in such institutions of the impact of

discriminatory gender stereotypes.75 Resistance against efforts to change negative gender

norms and stereotypes by religious institutions and leaders was also mentioned as an

obstacle.76

35. As an example of an effort to engage the judiciary in the elimination of gender-

based discrimination and bias, OHCHR prepared a study, “Eliminating judicial stereotyping:

equal access to justice for women in gender-based violence cases”, in 2014 and has been

conducting training sessions and conversations with the judiciary on their role in

challenging wrongful gender stereotyping by lower courts, as well as norms and practices

that embody harmful stereotypes and that could result in violations of human rights and

constitutional guarantees. 77 The Council of Europe, with the support of OHCHR, has

developed the Training Manual for Judges and Prosecutors on Ensuring Women’s Access

69 Submissions by the Human Rights Defender’s Office of Armenia, the Human Rights Ombudsman of

Guatemala, the National Centre for Human Rights of Jordan, the Slovak National Centre for Human

Rights and Sonke Gender Justice.

70 See, for example, the submission by the Centre for Health and Social Justice.

71 See http://ncw.gov.eg/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/womens-stratagy.pdf.

72 See www.migeprof.gov.rw/fileadmin/_migrated/content_uploads/GBV_Policy-2_1_.pdf.

73 Ibid., p. 13.

74 Submission by Sweden. See also

www.government.se/4afec2/contentassets/efcc5a15ef154522a872d8e46ad69148/161219-infokit-

uppdatering2.pdf.

75 Submission by Rutgers.

76 Submissions by Switzerland and Restored.

77 See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/WRGS/judicial_stereotyping2014.docx.

to Justice,78 which addresses judicial gender stereotyping and bias as one of its conceptual

frameworks.

H. Social and community mobilization

36. Efforts to promote social and community mobilization for gender equality were

reported. For example, at the global level, the HeForShe campaign of the United Nations

Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women),79 launched

during the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly in September 2014, aims to

mobilize men and boys globally to stand up and take action for the achievement of gender

equality.

37. At the national level, the White Ribbon Volunteers Network of China organized a

series of public dialogue forums entitled “Men talk stories” in 2014. The forums aimed to

strengthen social norms, promote non-violent masculinities and gender equality and

facilitate the elimination of gender-based violence and homophobia. Based on these

dialogues, the network produced a documentary and published a book entitled The Voices

of Men.80

38. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, networks of men who call themselves “Tupac

Katari” organized themselves at municipal level to fight against gender-based violence

against women and girls in 30 municipalities, in partnership with women community

promoters.81 Some other initiatives, such as Promundo’s Programme H, target or include

young men and boys, engaging them in peer or group education, communication campaigns,

community mobilization and activism.82

39. At the same time, it was stressed in some submissions that regressive narratives in

relation to gender equality were an impediment to engagement with men and boys. For

example, in several countries in Europe and Latin America, “gender” terminology is

opposed by political and religious leaders.83 Such narratives postulate a “complementary

role” for women in relation to the role(s) of men, both in family and society. They are

structured around supposed innate differences between women and men, and thus seek to

embed a “natural” or “traditional” basis for gendered roles. It was observed that such a

discourse undermined efforts to promote gender equality, including efforts to engage men

and boys.84 Likewise, concern was expressed that, in some settings, affirmation of women’s

human rights was being met with counter (but false) narratives asserting that upholding the

rights of women meant a “loss” of rights for men.85

78 See https://rm.coe.int/training-manual-final-english/16807626a4.

79 See www.heforshe.org/en.

80 UNFPA, “UNFPA engagement in ending gender-based violence” (New York, 2016), p. 15. Available

at https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-

pdf/UNFPA_Brochures_on_GBV_Prevention_and_response.pdf.

81 Submission by Plurinational State of Bolivia.

82 Such initiatives include:

Programme H by Promundo and the Gender Roles, Equality and Transformation project in Uganda by

Georgetown University. See also the submission by Georgetown University and the police campaign

against “party rape” referred to in the submission by Norway.

83 See, for example, for Europe, CEDAW/C/SVK/CO/5-6 and CEDAW/C/POL/CO/7-8. For the

Americas, see the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, press release of 8 March 2018, “On

International Women’s Day, the IACHR urges States to refrain from adopting measures that would

set back respect for and protection of women’s rights”. Available at

www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2018/044.asp.

84 Submission by the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights.

85 E.g. submission by the MenEngage Alliance.

I. Methodologies for a gender-transformative approach

40. As discussed under sections II and III above, for initiatives to engage men and boys

in gender equality issues and the elimination of gender-based violence against women and

girls, they have to be gender transformative in their objectives and outcomes and have to

meet certain methodological criteria, such as full respect for the rights, autonomy and

leadership of women and girls, and engagement with women, girls and their

organizations.86 As an example of methodologies for a gender-responsive engagement of

men and boys, the MenEngage Alliance has developed concrete guidance on how work

with men and boys can be done effectively, while putting the rights and leadership of

women and girls at the centre. The Alliance’s Accountability Standards and Guidelines87

and Code of Conduct 88 suggest: seeking regular feedback from women’s rights

organizations for work carried out to engage men and boys; involving women in decision-

making processes for interventions on engaging men and boys; allocating a certain number

of board seats to members of women’s rights organizations; creating “advisory councils” of

women’s organizations; inviting women’s rights organizations to conduct programmes

together with efforts on men and boys; and/or contributing in solidarity to women’s rights

organizations through joint advocacy or activism.

41. A gender-transformative approach aims to change gender norms and relations in

society. Changes in attitudes, behaviours and norms at an individual level are not sufficient

to drive change at societal level. To make systemic change, efforts need to be undertaken at

multiple levels, in the home, in the community, in local and national institutions and

through legal and policy frameworks and across public and private spaces.89 In this regard,

the Alliance has adopted a “socio-ecological model” for engaging men and boys to

eliminate gender-based violence, which combines: interventions that aim to change men’s

individual behaviour and behaviour within relationships with women and girls;

interventions targeted at communities that aim to transform dominant social norms

regarding gender and violence; interventions that aim to embed positive gender norms in

institutions, such as the health and education systems and law enforcement; and national

policies and laws that engage men and boys in gender-based violence prevention.90

42. A number of those who made submissions emphasized the importance of a strong

evidence base for identifying strategic entry points and designing effective interventions,

and recognized that insufficient evidence remains a challenge.91 One of the goals of the

Government Strategy for Equality of Women and Men in Czechia between 2014 and 202092

is systematic identification of the ways to efficiently eliminate gender stereotypes and

unconscious prejudices in all spheres and at all levels of society. 93 In Portugal, the

Government published a White Paper on men and gender equality,94 which summarized the

relevant information on men, male roles and gender equality and helped identify challenges

and recommendations in that area, in order to be discussed and weighed by all bodies and

86 See also Human Rights Council resolution 35/10, para. 9 (d).

87 See http://menengage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MenEngage_Accountability-Standards-and-

Guidelines.pdf.

88 See http://menengage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MenEngage-Global-Code-of-Conduct.pdf.

89 Commission on the Status of Women, “The responsibility of men and boys in achieving gender

equality, Chair’s summary”, 2015, para. 3. Available at www.unwomen.org/-

/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/csw/59/meetings/chairs_summary_men_boys.pdf?la=en&v

s=3738.

90 MenEngage Alliance, policy brief: “Accelerating efforts to eliminate violence against women:

engaging men and boys in preventing and responding to violence against all women and girls”, 2017.

91 Submissions by Mexico and Promundo United States.

92 See https://www.vlada.cz/assets/ppov/rovne-prilezitosti-zen-a-

muzu/Projekt_Optimalizace/Government_Strategy_for-Gender_Equality_2014_2020.pdf.

93 Ibid., p. 25.

94 See http://cite.gov.pt/asstscite/images/papelhomens/P_Brief_III_en.pdf.

social actors interested in promoting gender equality in Portuguese society. In Qatar, the

National Human Rights Committee95 conducted a survey on citizens’ views on the civil,

political, economic and social rights of women in society to identify strategic entry points

for engaging men and boys.96

43. Many actors, including several United Nations entities,97 adopted the methodology

of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey,98 developed by Promundo and the

International Centre for Research on Women, to collect data and to build an evidence base

for policymaking. The Survey is a comprehensive, multi-country study on men’s realities,

practices and attitudes with regard to gender norms, gender-equality policies, household

dynamics, caregiving and fatherhood, intimate partner violence, sexual diversity and health

and economic stress, among other topics. It includes both women and men as respondents.

The outcome of the Survey informed national public policies, for example in Brazil, Chile

and Croatia.99

44. Violence against children surveys have been used by the Together for Girls

partnership,100 a global public-private partnership against violence against children. The

surveys collect nationally representative data on emotional, physical and sexual violence

against girls and boys, as well as on the circumstances and perpetrators of violence,

reporting and service use, and health and well-being outcomes. The process is led by a

multisectoral task force of government ministries, civil society and Together for Girls

partners, and the data informs long-term violence prevention and response policy and

programme implementation, including through engaging men and boys.101

IV. Conclusions and recommendations

45. Engaging men and boys is a critical element of strategies to dismantle

patriarchy in order to achieve gender equality and eliminate gender-based violence

against women and girls. Clearly, the transformation of beliefs, attitudes and

behaviours of men and boys is necessary to achieve these goals. In order to be

transformative, interventions that focus on men and boys must challenge unequal

power relations and structures, based on the recognition of how patriarchy is

privileging men and boys and oppressing women and girls. In the absence of these

premises, there is a risk that initiatives to engage men and boys may preserve and

reinforce gender inequality and patriarchal and discriminatory gender stereotypes. In

the same vein, interventions focused on men and boys should be designed in

consultation with women’s rights advocates to make sure their concerns and

perspectives are considered.

46. Engaging men and boys as agents for achieving gender equality and eliminating

gender-based violence must be based on a critical analysis of the privileges they enjoy

as a result of discriminatory power structures, and re-engage them as allies and

partners to support the human rights of women and girls and gender equality. In the

process, the benefits for men and boys of such a transformation will also be realized,

including more positive, non-violent, equal and inclusive gender relations based on

full respect for the human rights and dignity of all.

95 See www.nhrc-qa.org.

96 Submission by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar.

97 Including UN-Women, UNFPA and the United Nations Development Programme.

98 See https://promundoglobal.org/programs/international-men-and-gender-equality-survey-images/.

99 Submission by Promundo United States.

100 Together for Girls is a partnership among national Governments, United Nations agencies and private

sector organizations, working at the intersection of violence against children and violence against

women, with special attention on sexual violence against girls. See https://www.togetherforgirls.org.

101 Submission by Together for Girls.

47. Various strategies for meaningfully engaging men and boys for gender equality

include:

(a) Engaging men and boys in combating harmful practices through

their roles as, among others, religious and traditional leaders, fathers, sons, family

members, teachers, health professionals and members of the community;

(b) Helping transform discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes

and promoting non-violent, respectful and equal gender relations through education

and communication, including through: gender-responsive early childhood education

and development, the integration of gender equality content into curricula at all levels

of education and scientifically based and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality

education;

(c) Promoting equal sharing of responsibilities in unpaid care and

domestic work, including through parental leave policies and increased flexibility in

working arrangements;

(d) Promoting full respect for the sexual and reproductive health and

rights of women, girls, men, boys and non-binary persons, emphasizing the

importance of dismantling discriminatory stereotypes in this area and supporting

behavioural change;

(e) Adopting a life cycle and intergenerational approach, including

through the rehabilitation of perpetrators of gender-based violence to prevent

reoffending and support for men and boys who have witnessed and suffered from

violence, in addition to support for women and girls who have been exposed to and

experienced such violence;

(f) Promoting the engagement of men in positions of authority and as

advocates to support the establishment of a legal and policy framework that

guarantees gender equality, prohibits and eliminates discrimination and prevents and

responds to all forms of gender-based violence in all spheres of life;

(g) Engaging men who have influence within public institutions

relevant to the prevention and response to gender-based violence to address bias in

such institutions and adopt gender-transformative approaches. This includes

institutions in education, health, social protection, law enforcement and justice

systems;

(h) Mobilizing men and boys for gender equality and the elimination

of gender-based violence at community and societal level, in partnership with

women’s rights movements.

48. In their efforts to engage men and boys to promote and achieve gender equality

and to eliminate gender-based violence against women, States, national human rights

institutions, civil society organizations, United Nations entities and development

partners should:

(a) Invest in efforts that engage men, boys, women, girls and non-

binary persons to challenge unequal power relations and to transform discriminatory

gender stereotypes and social norms to promote non-violent, equal and inclusive

relationships that are also inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex

persons;

(b) Build a strong evidence base for effective policy and programme

design and ensure rigorous monitoring to assess the actual impact of interventions on

the transformation of discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes, the promotion of

gender equality and the prevention and reduction of gender-based violence against all

women and girls;

(c) Pay due attention to the intersection of discrimination and

discriminatory stereotypes based on gender and other grounds, such as race,

economic and social status, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, and

cultural and religious background;

(d) Ensure the active and meaningful participation of women and

girls and effective collaboration with women’s organizations and feminist groups in

efforts to engage men and boys. Such participation should include policy and

programme design, the delivery of programmes and services, as well as monitoring

and evaluation;

(e) Combine efforts to engage men and boys with investment in

ensuring an enabling environment for the work of women and girls human rights

defenders, women’s rights organizations and feminist groups;

(f) Take a comprehensive, multilevel, multisectoral and multi-

stakeholder approach to transform discriminatory gender norms and relations. This

means that relevant efforts should be made at multiple levels, in the home, in the

community, in local and national institutions and through legal and policy

frameworks and coordinated across various sectors, including education, health,

social protection, law enforcement and justice systems;

(g) Provide financial, technical and human resources to the long-term

efforts to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality and eliminating gender-

based violence against women and girls, without diverting existing resources allocated

to promote women’s rights and support women’s empowerment and leadership.