There is growing recognition that men and boys must be engaged in programs to end violence against women, prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and create more gender-equitable societies. ICRW is at the forefront of these endeavors.
Two ICRW programs in India are targeting young men to transform unequal and harmful social norms that undermine the well-being of women and girls – as well as men and boys. One program, called Parivartan, uses the popular sport of cricket to dispel the notion that “real men” are aggressive and violent. It also emphasizes that when young men have access to men who model peaceful, gender-equitable behaviors, they are more likely to embrace the same characteristics. Gender Equity Movement in Schools, or GEMS, is another ICRW effort which promotes more gender equitable attitudes and behaviors. The school-based program challenges boys and girls to question social norms that perpetuate unequal relationships between men and women.
These projects are part of ICRW’s growing body of work to engage men and boys as partners for women’s empowerment. Evaluation of these programs is helping to build evidence on interventions and will have important implications for greater reach.
Using Parivartan and GEMS as case studies, Ravi Verma, director of ICRW’s Asia Regional Office in India, will discuss how these programs are working towards changing social norms of boys, girls, men and women as well as how the efforts may be scaled up. Gary Barker, ICRW’s director of gender, violence and rights, will provide context to the discussion by presenting early findings related to India from a ground-breaking multi-year, multi-country survey called the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES).
This is a brown bag seminar, with drinks and light snacks provided. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Lindsay Kin at lkin@icrw.org or call 202.742.1211.
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