African Woman and Child Feature Service

This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD): “Men and Women; united to end violence against women and girls”, highlights the value of involving men in the struggle to achieve lasting gender equality. Women across the developing world have for decades spearheaded the campaign on the rights of women, and worked to empower other women to know their rights and take control of their lives.

While the empowerment of women is key in achieving gender justice – it is increasingly clear that without involving men, their efforts will be frustrated and the struggle to stop violence is likely to fail. We know that men are the key perpetrators of violence against women and girls. Being key to the problem – men can also be part of the solution.  Negative masculinity and archaic socio-cultural norms, instilled in us from early childhood, means that many men and women in Kenya have grown up accepting violence against women as a part of life. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) of 2003 showed that 68% of women thought it would be justified for a man to beat his wife for numerous reasons, including if she declined having sex with him. And many men continue to use different forms of violence; economical, physical, sexual and emotional, to retain their power over women around them.

Bringing men on board in the efforts to stop violence is crucial, because men can mobilise each other to share and wield influence that changes the attitudes of their peers and hence make a real difference in the lives of women.

MEGEN Kenya is a network of men and women activists, who engage in community education work, advocacy and campaigning, in order to challenge unequal power relations between men and women, transform harmful masculinities into positive ones, and put an end to gender-based violence (GBV).  Since MEGEN Kenya was started four years ago we have realized that men who are sensitized on GBV can be key allies in ensuring gender equality. Through proper understanding of the consequences of violence,  by interacting and getting to hear about violence from the survivor’s perspective, many men realize the need to change their behavior.

We have also learned that there are many Kenyan men who in different ways are contributing to the fight against gender based violence. As MEGEN, we create a forum for dialogue and encourage them to be part of movements of men working to end gender violence. MEGEN Kenya is spearheading men’s involvement in eliminating gender based violence at local, national and regional fronts. We recognize the fact that the responsibility for enforcement of favorable laws that protect women and Kenyan citizens is vested on the state (gatekeepers – police, chiefs, D.Os, D.Cs, MPs etc). Our role is to supplement the government efforts in achieving the same. Therefore, ending violence against women is the responsibility of all of us. Take a visible stand!

Sylvia Sitawa is the Coordinator of MEGEN Kenya