Document Abstract
Published:
2012
Mobilising men in practice: challenging sexual and gender based violence in institutional settings
This document brings together stories, tools and lessons from the work of the Mobilising Men programme, a partnership looking at ways of engaging men as gender activists. Set up in 2009, the programme involves country partners in Kenya, India and Uganda who identify, recruit, train and support teams of male activists who then work with women to challenge and change institutional settings that enable and enact violence against women. The programme is supported by the Institute of Development Studies and the United Nations Population Fund.
The document is split into several sections. These are:
• Becoming activists for change
o Reflect on our journeys
o Be a strong ally
o Look at our privilege
o Get and give support
• Understanding institutional violence
o Begin with an analysis of power
o Look at conditions as well as behaviours
o Document the violence
• Taking action for change
o Design the campaign
o Select strategies for action
o Improve rights literacy of constituency
o Change and monitor institutional policy
o Change institutional culture
The first section begins with the personal stories of activists for change from Kenya, Uganda and India. There is an activist life mapping tool that can help activists to think about the experiences and people that led them to take action against injustice and violence. There is also a ‘why should men change?’ tool and handout which help to identify men’s interests in joining the struggle for gender equality, and a section containing information and tools on understanding male privilege, helping to highlight the costs to men as well as women.
The second section includes an analysis unpacking different types of power: power over, power within, power to and power with. It explores how these types relate to violence, and introduces patriarchy into the analysis. There is an actor-factor analysis tool which has been created to improve understanding of the institutional conditions that enable gender based violence to take place, and what opportunities exist to change these. There is guidance on documenting violence, and examples of how activists in the programme have done this under challenging circumstances.
The final section on taking action includes practical tools on planning and developing and implementing campaigns, including handouts on organising protests and in facilitating group discussions. There are also examples of strategies used by Mobilising Men partners to educate people about their rights around gender based and sexual violence, making rights information accessible and relevant for everyday lives, and gaining the support of powerful allies. Finally there are stories of the success that activists involved in the programme have had in challenging institutional policies that fail to address gender based violence, and how the campaigns they have developed are beginning to challenge and change harmful institutional cultures too.
The document is split into several sections. These are:
• Becoming activists for change
o Reflect on our journeys
o Be a strong ally
o Look at our privilege
o Get and give support
• Understanding institutional violence
o Begin with an analysis of power
o Look at conditions as well as behaviours
o Document the violence
• Taking action for change
o Design the campaign
o Select strategies for action
o Improve rights literacy of constituency
o Change and monitor institutional policy
o Change institutional culture
The first section begins with the personal stories of activists for change from Kenya, Uganda and India. There is an activist life mapping tool that can help activists to think about the experiences and people that led them to take action against injustice and violence. There is also a ‘why should men change?’ tool and handout which help to identify men’s interests in joining the struggle for gender equality, and a section containing information and tools on understanding male privilege, helping to highlight the costs to men as well as women.
The second section includes an analysis unpacking different types of power: power over, power within, power to and power with. It explores how these types relate to violence, and introduces patriarchy into the analysis. There is an actor-factor analysis tool which has been created to improve understanding of the institutional conditions that enable gender based violence to take place, and what opportunities exist to change these. There is guidance on documenting violence, and examples of how activists in the programme have done this under challenging circumstances.
The final section on taking action includes practical tools on planning and developing and implementing campaigns, including handouts on organising protests and in facilitating group discussions. There are also examples of strategies used by Mobilising Men partners to educate people about their rights around gender based and sexual violence, making rights information accessible and relevant for everyday lives, and gaining the support of powerful allies. Finally there are stories of the success that activists involved in the programme have had in challenging institutional policies that fail to address gender based violence, and how the campaigns they have developed are beginning to challenge and change harmful institutional cultures too.
