Over a decade and a half on from the landmark declarations of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (UN 1994) and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (UN 1995), there is now a growing consensus on the importance of engaging men and boys in efforts to stop violence against women and girls.
Kenya’s 2008/09 Demographic and Health Survey indicated that 45 per cent of women aged 15–49 had experienced either physical or sexual violence — mostly committed by their husbands or partners. Some of the causes behind the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Kenya include traditional gender norms that support male superiority and entitlement, social norms that tolerate or justify violence against women, and weak community sanctions against perpetrators.
While SGBV has been a feature of all societies throughout history, in Kenya women and girls suffered increased incidences of sexual violence in 2007-08 following accusations that the government manipulated the election process. This plunged the country into turmoil, with Kenya spiralling into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis that resulted in the death of 1,300 people and the displacement of around 300,000 people (Muhula 2009).
In order to improve our understanding and knowledge of shifting roles of men in movements to address SGBV through collective action in Kenya, Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) joined together to engage with multiple actors in Kenya for collective learning through this workshop.
Authors
