ORGANISATION
African Women Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
P. O. Box 54562,
Nairobi,
Kenya
Tel: +254 2 741301
Fax: +254 2 742927
E-mail: femnet@africaonlione.co.ke

CAMPAIGN
For the 16 days of activism against GBV, FEMNET will conduct two campaigns:

• The men to men consultations on gender based violence and
• A multi media campaign against rape.

Men to Men Consultation: A campaign against Gender Based Violence
The need to involve men in the gender equality movement in support for women's empowerment was first explicitly articulated in the Cairo Plan of Action on Population and Development. Since then, it has been recognised in strategies to enhance the participation of men in programmes and projects for gender equality. As (most) males are the beneficiaries of gender inequalities, they hold the keys to eliminating gender-based inequalities. They have the economic, moral, political, religious and social to combat all forms of gender discrimination and inequalities.

FEMNET has targeted men as allies and partners in the gender equality movement from the beginning of its gender-training programme in 1990. The FEMNET gender training programme experience has been out there, even in the most patriarchal of societies, there are many influential men who are convinced that there can be no development, no peace, no social harmony and justice as long as gender inequalities persist. Many of them are willing to come out and declare and commit their support to the struggle. The strategy of involving men in the campaign for the elimination of VAW has been tried in several countries in Africa.

In 1997 and 1998, male marches in support of the campaign were carried out in Kenya and South Africa respectively. In Malawi, the Network Against Gender Based Violence, which has a number of male-dominated agencies dealing with issues of GBV, including the police, the judiciary, the prisons, human rights NGOs and others, has witnessed the commitment of and willingness by men to join the campaign. Similar groups of men against VAW have been formed in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The presence of committed men in the struggle to combat GBV is gradually creating new voices, especially to address other men and confront them to rethink their attitudes and behavior, tackling critical issues about masculinity and male responsibility.

FEMNET proposes to mobilise these groups and others to form a strong force to support the 2001 Sixteen Days of Activism against Violence against Women and to create teams of male supporters for the on-going campaign in six to ten countries in Africa. The men to men approach is based on the premise that, like women and other interest groups, men are able to group and pursue together concerns around issues of mutual interest. Men have been identified as the major culprits in GBV, an image that is not complimentary given that the majority of men do not consider themselves violators of girls and women. Men as husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, responsible citizens and equal partners with women have a role to play in ensuring the prevention of GBV. With awareness, sensitivity and advocacy skills, they can effectively reach other men to tell them that GBV is an affront to masculinity.

FEMNET will publish the materials generated through the consultation in the form of articles in FEMNET News and Our Rights and as a booklet to spread the example of the consultation to other countries.

FEMNET will collaborate with its national focal points and other partners in the countries represented to support the task forces/working groups to follow-up on the consultation and to link the men to men initiative with mainstream national gender programmes.

The participants will be drawn from six to ten countries in Africa and from various sectors of civil society, the private sector and government. There will be a core group of three to five participants from each country. The end of the consultation will have generated enough interest generated to allow the participants to make definite undertakings to take up the challenge of fighting GBV in their personal and professional spheres and to be trained as advocates for gender equality.

Multi Media Campaign Against rape
This year, FEMNET is working in partnership with Thompson Kenya, an international advertising agency, a local television production company, leading Kenyan daily newspapers, radio and television stations, to design and disseminate a multi-faceted, multimedia campaign during and immediately after the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women.

This multimedia campaign kit, against rape, will be shared with FEMNET's national focal points in other countries for adaptation and use. The multimedia campaign kit will include messages specifically targeting men, in their various capacities. FEMNET is also linked with a global dialogue on the Role of Men in Combating Violence on Women, an initiative of the United Nations International Research Institute (INSTRAW), as part of the global effort to get men involved in the global campaign against violence on women. The materials generated through the INSTRAW dialogue will be used to inform the campaign.

GOALS
Men to Men consultations
To create a core of male supporters for the long-term campaign to eliminate GBV in Africa and thereby contribute to the goals of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action and the creation of the country task forces/working groups which should result  in increased advocacy for changes in laws, policies, behavior and practices towards making gender equality a norm and GBV unacceptable.

The specific objectives are to:

• mobilise, sensitise and involve male gender activists and advocates from six to ten countries in Africa in the campaign to combat GBV in the 2001 campaign and beyond;
• Develop a long term programme for male advocacy for gender equality in six to ten countries in the sub-region, building on FEMNET's gender training programme experience and the new experience working with men on GBV.

The consultation will have the following specific objectives:

• to sensitise the participants on the extent, forms and impact of GBV in Africa and its implications for the achievement of the goals of development, equality and peace;
• to explore and discuss the role of men as perpetrators of violence and the possible causes of this behaviour, including notions of masculinity and male identity;
• to identify critical issues to be addressed to change male attitudes and behaviour and to create a culture of gender equality and peace;
• to develop strategies and plans for individual and collective actions in homes, communities, policy and political settings to bring about the change of male attitudes, behaviour and practice towards females.
  

The consultation is expected to create support from all the participants to create task forces or working groups in each country represented to continue the campaign at each country level:

• generate ideas to create a male movement to influence and create new concepts of masculinity and male identities to influence males to accept gender equality;
• personally commit to action to change and live by example so that they can influence other to stop VAW;
• commit to create a task force/working group in each country to work towards a long term programme of men reaching other men to eliminate GBV;
• develop basic plans of action for immediate action on return home.

The Multi Media Campaign Against Rape
The long-term objective of this campaign is to maintain active regional dialogue with the aim of searching out areas of new services for women and to encourage other civil society organs to engage in areas of intervention against violence on women and awareness raising.

To create awareness, which will result in increased reporting, legal actions and some prosecutions.

To Sensitise the Kenyan society to the problem, change attitudes, and publicise strategies for dealing with the problem of rape.

This campaign will aim to demystify myths surrounding rape and hence transform the mentality that tolerates rape, providing information to rape survivors/victims and encouraging them to seek help from the support service providers available.

The campaign will also aim at reinforcing, at a national level, the outreach programme of the Coalition On Violence Against Women- COVAW (K).

DOCUMENTS AND OUTREACH MATERIALS
The multi media campaign which is still in pre production stage.
The campaign kit will contain, radio messages, press adds, posters, stickers and internet presence.

LOCATION
The multi media rape campaign will be produced in Kenya but shared with FEMNET's focal points in Africa for adaptation and dissemination. The campaign will run throughout the sixteen days of activism.

The men to men consultation will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from December 6-9, 2001 to coincide with the end of the Sixteen Days of Activism against Violence against Women. Two whole days will be devoted to the consultation. Participants will come
from Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya.

LAUNCH
Both the men to men and rape campaigns will take place during and after the 16 days of activism from November 25th to December 10th. However, we expect the men to men consultations to be an ongoing project of the advocacy programme. In this regard, efforts will be made to integrate this initiative into on-going national level gender programmes in the countries represented.

WHAT IS BEING DONE
Developing a multi media kit and disseminating it to FEMNET's national focal points,
organise the development of an advocacy programme with men to reach men through their business, political, religious and social networks and sensitise them on GBV.
Ensure implementation of the basic plans of action developed by the participants during consultation.
Ensure support of the task force/working group in the different countries by the FEMNET national focal points and other partners.