This Issue Brief has been commissioned by Status of Women Canada (SWC) in collaboration with The Public Health Agency of Canada to provide an overview of efforts to engage men of all ages in efforts to reduce and prevent gender-based violence.
The paper will begin with a look at the historical efforts in Canada and the development of work with men and boys to end gender-based violence around the world. This overview will also chronicle the expression of this effort in various United Nations commitments since the Beijing 4th World Conference on Women in 1995. A brief review of Canadian statistics around violence against women, and a look at what little research exists on men’s attitudes towards gender- based violence in Canada and globally will follow.
In order to address the roles men of all ages can play in preventing and reducing gender-based violence, the paper will then examine the root causes; the socialization of men, power and patriarchy, masculinities, gender inequality and the links to all forms of violence against women. Further detail will be provided for the complex issues and multiple dimensions around gender-based violence particularly as they relate to men, and a brief contextualization of the relevance to several communities of interest.
Finally, the paper will illustrate the promising strategies, best practices, and effective frameworks for engaging men and boys in the effort to reduce and prevent gender-based violence. This section will also identify gaps, and note the considerations, limits and risks involved as well.