Live from MenEngage Rio: Men, Masculinities, Globalization, Development and Social Justice

Posted by Theresa Castillo

On the surface, there was a great deal of academic talk about “patriarchal masculinities” and the “masculinity of hegemony” at the “Men, Masculinities, Globalization, Development and Social Justice” session today (April 4). But for me it was another opportunity to think about the ways in which stereotypes are created and perpetuated in our daily lives.

One speaker, Juan Guillermo Figueroa from Colegio de Mexico, likened the way we socialize men through sports and competition as the “gym academy.” Men are allowed to hug and kiss each other on the field, but are discouraged to display any emotion outside of this sports context. This example highlights the importance of building spaces for men and communities to address such gender norms.

The MAP program has several strategies in place that tackle these deep-rooted behaviors and advance the global movement for social justice by empowering both men and women. We need to build on such successful programs. With more than 450 people, representing 80 countries, the Rio call for action commands a unified voice to help us move forward in our work and remain mindful. The possibility for change is very much in our hands.

Live from MenEngage Rio: Gender and Masculinities in Post-Conflict Settings

Posted by Theresa Castillo

Throughout the day, the one salient theme echoed by many of the presenters was the concept of privilege—reminding me that it is impossible to talk about gender without referencing power and who holds it.

For those of us who develop gender programs, we must be aware of the social, political, and economic dynamics that exist within a community. Several research documents explore these complicated dynamics and we should rely upon them to inform our work.

In the session “Gender and Masculinities in Post-Conflict Settings,” presenters described the extreme violence that young men and boys experience daily in the most poverty- stricken areas. The stories they told were overwhelming. While the research presented was moving, informative, and demonstrated the great demand for targeted services, there was no guidance given for implementing programs focused on men and boys in these settings.

Traditionally, there has been a dearth of guiding documents in this area. However, recently MAP has made great efforts to address these issues, through its work to engage men and boys in post-conflict and emergency settings.

Our curriculum provides a space for health and social service providers to discuss and plan for these different circumstances, considering the cultural, social, and political contexts that impact gender-based violence and the HIV epidemic.

This session has made me more hopeful that in the future we can share our best practices and come up with effective strategies to help this community of young men and boys.

Live from MenEngage Rio: Inclusion of minority populations

Posted by Theresa Castillo

Today, breakout sessions offered a chance to really explore importance of inclusion, which basically means making programs as inclusive of minority populations as possible. This means including indigenous populations, migrants, refugees, the transgendered, commercial sex workers, and other marginalized groups. Usually, these groups are left out of conversations about improving health, improving communities, and creating a better life for everyone.

In our MAP work, we are aware of these vulnerable populations and include them in our outreach. One example is our new MARPs work in Ethiopia which directs HIV prevention efforts to the most at- risk, yet hard-to-reach, populations, including commercial sex workers. Achieving a gender-equitable world means that all people can enjoy human rights, including the right to health care. Moving forward, we need to continue expanding our reach so that as men become partners in the global call for gender equality, these groups remain an integral part of the conversation.

Live from MenEngage Rio: How do we focus on well-being?

Posted by Theresa Castillo

In today’s plenary session, “Including Men and Masculinities in Gender Equality Policies,” one of the speakers said something that really struck me. Annikenn Huitfeldt, the Minister of Gender Equality and Children in Norway, posed the question, “How do we move from discussing “being well” to focusing on well-being?” She challenged us to think about all of the factors that comprise a person’s well-being, and that lead to a family’s well-being.

In the context of male engagement, one aspect of well-being for many men is being able to be fully involved in family life, yet laws and policies don’t always support this. To support well-being for everyone—men, women, and families—national policies are needed in many, many countries that grant men paternity leave, that allow men to be present in labor and delivery rooms, even for something as simple has making sure that there are family diaper stations in public restrooms.

Ms. Huitfeldt’s speech illustrated perfectly the need to work at all levels to bring about change, and affirmed for me that in the Men As Partners program, we’re definitely on the right track.

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.