Live from MenEngage Rio: Day Two

Posted by Eric Ramírez-Ferrero

The morning of day two I viewed the Symposium’s photo exhibit entitled, “The World’s Most Influential Men,” which highlights positive male role models for boys (and girls, too!) from 20 countries. Even more than the photos, I was moved by the accompanying captions. In particular, a beautiful portrait of a father and son from Ethiopia was tagged with the quote, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

Another photo was a powerful reminder that men’s roles are not limited to fatherhood but span the entire community—from brothers and uncles, to teachers, coaches, to local government leaders: One man’s beliefs and acts really do impact an extended network of people.

At CHAMPION, we had a similar idea. Our formative research revealed that most Tanzanians thought that gender equitable men did not exist. We thought it was critical to show that they did exist, that all over Tanzania there are men working for the health of their families and communities. We created a photo and story calendar of male “champions” from around the nation, and mounted an exhibit at our recent project launch.

The most provocative session of the day for me was the “Dialogue with Women’s Rights Movements,” which began with personal reflections by the speakers about how they came to their work (how have all of us ended up in this room together?) and later turned to recent press coverage of a disturbing trend in Brazil: the high incidence of rape and molestation of young girls and women. Where is the public outrage from men? they asked. There are gender-equitable men in all of our communities, and among our leaders. But where is their leadership at times like this? Where are their voices?

The photos and speakers in this and other sessions affirmed the importance of gender-equitable men speaking out – of our need to both see and hear them: Men who truly believe in the possibility of a transformed world have a responsibility to be visible, and to challenge other men’s sexist and damaging behaviors.

Live from MenEngage Rio: Gender Equality as a Human Right

Posted by Theresa Castillo

The opening session here at MenEngage reminded me that I was witnessing a historic moment: The focus on engaging men and boys to achieve gender equity has emerged as a top priority for both human rights and public health activists and advocates in recent years.

The Symposium, and the support it is receiving from UN agencies, is a testament to this positive change. The conversation is no longer about why it is important to involve men; instead, we are now talking about how to scale up current partnerships, advocacy efforts and effective programming. It is an inspiring time to be in this field.

In the coming week, I hope we have a chance to examine the shared responsibility among both men and women for bringing about change—it is not only men who hold traditional attitudes about gender role. Women, too, may reinforce such stereotypes. Seemingly innocent comments like "take it like a man" are really reminders that boys and men should hide their emotions or else they could be viewed as being too "feminine"—too weak. Every unchallenged stereotype becomes a step back in achieving gender equality and social justice. We can all change this as individuals, which leads to community change, which leads to.... As I said, it's an inspiring time to be in this field.

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Theresa P. Castillo has worked domestically and internationally in the fields of sexual and reproductive health, adolescent mental health and health disparities for over 14 years. She received her A.B. in psychology and pre-medicine from University of Chicago. Her graduate training includes a Masters degree in Public Health Education with a focus on women’s health, violence prevention, and cultural competency among immigrant/ refugee populations from Columbia University. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist, Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and was an Emerging Leaders fellow for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, Theresa is a Senior Program Associate for EngenderHealth with the Men As Partners® Program. She lives in New York.

Live from MenEngage Rio: Opening ceremony

Posted by Flavian Rhode

The magnitude of what I am a part of hit me square in the face listening to the introductory remarks during of the Global Symposium for Engaging Men and Boys in beautiful Rio de Janeiro. For the first time, I was in a room surrounded by people who really get what my work is about, people who are passionate, driven and committed to making gender equity a worldwide reality.

The Symposium is helping us learn from one another and reinforcing that we’re all together on this journey. But more than that, once again I realize that the smallest act can lead to positive change. It takes but one person....what have I done to make a change today?....what about you?....Ciao.

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Flavian Rhode is currently working with EngenderHealth's Men As Partners® program in Namibia, assisting local organizations in incorporating male engagement activities into their programs. Mr. Rhode was formerly head of ChildLine. He also has experience in counseling, particularly couples counseling and relationships. Mr. Rhode has tertiary postgraduate qualifications in psychology and the performing arts. He is currently enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch, where he is pursuing a Masters degree in Public Health.

Live from MenEngage Rio: Empty Chairs No More?

Posted by Eric Ramírez-Ferrero

The Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equity kicked off at 6 p.m. on March 30, with leaders of UNICEF, UNAIDS, WHO and UNIFEM among those welcoming participants from more than 70 countries.

The mood was celebratory-the fact that more than 450 of us had gathered for the first global event for activists and practitioners supportive of male involvement was a reason to cheer! But there was also a cautionary tone: let's be realistic.we have a long way to go.

One veteran of the women's rights movement, Kim Bolduc, UN Resident Coordinator for Brazil, offered an image that stuck in my mind: Historically, when women gathered in global forums to act on issues related to gender equity and, ultimately, the well-being of women and families, there were often empty chairs. These empty chairs represented missing men, whose presence and commitment could have profoundly impacted and expedited progress on a range of sexual and reproductive health issues. I found this a mournful and regretful metaphor for opportunities lost.

Nevertheless, a spirit of hope pervaded and the speakers repeatedly lauded the efforts of individuals, organizations and governments for recognizing a basic idea - one which has informed EngenderHealth's own Men As Partners Program for more than 12 years: The beliefs and actions of men are intimately linked to the social well-being and public health of men, women and children.

Here in Rio, the chairs are full. Over the course of this week, the Symposium will examine how positive male involvement can lead to better health, indeed to a better life, for everyone. It's an issue I think about daily, and it reaffirms for me our decision to make CHAMPION about families. Our byline is "Men as facilitators of family health." We are building on men's capacity for leadership to act on behalf of their partners and families-the people who matter to them the most-while working to sensitize them, communities and policy makers that gender equality has health benefits for us all.

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Eric Ramírez-Ferrero was born in New York City in 1963 of Cuban immigrant parents. He was raised in New York and in Enid, Oklahoma. He received his A.B. in biology and anthropology from Bennington College in 1985. His graduate training includes an M.P.H. in population, family and reproductive health from the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University, and an A.M. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Stanford University, where he specialized in critical medical anthropology and feminist theory. His doctoral dissertation, Troubled Fields: Men, Emotions and the Crisis in American Farming (Columbia University Press, 2005), is a feminist analysis of men’s health in light of the ongoing economic restructuring of rural communities in the United States. Ramírez-Ferrero has taught at Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa. He has worked domestically and internationally in the promotion of reproductive and sexual health for the Area Health Education Centers Program, Planned Parenthood, and Family Health International. He is currently chief of party for EngenderHealth in Tanzania, leading CHAMPION—a project to promote positive male involvement in the prevention of HIV and other adverse reproductive health outcomes. He lives in Dar es Salaam.