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An issue of men

Shashish Shami Kamal
f M HE issue of gender inequality and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in JL Bangladesh is mainly placed on the public agenda by women and women-focused organisations only. Men and boys still remain passive participants by being the target group of workshops, posters, leaflets telling them to 'Stop Violence.' This approach of men's participation in the issues of gender inequality and VAWG is an effective short term solution for awareness building and information dissemination. But we do realise that the issue of VAWG is rooted in the unequal position of women in the gender order
of the society. That is why a sustainable change in the society requires the interventions to go beyond individual and interpersonal levels and address the institutional and structural levels of the society. This needs active engagement of men and boys. Men's capacity should be utilised for changing the social practices that reproduce the systematic dominance of men over women. Active engagement proposes that men and boys become change agents themselves rather than being the passive beneficiaries of interventions.
We understand VAWG is within the overarching idea of Gender-based Violence (GBV). United Nations defines VAWG as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such
acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." Gender based violence in the context of Bangladesh usually includes violence against women, girls and boys. But VAWG is used as a semantic of GBV in the literature and field level as women and girls are the worst victim of men's violence.
Historical evidence can be used to trace men's contribution regarding improving the condition of women in Bengal. Reformers like Vidyasagar, Rammohon Roy and Sir Sayed Ahmad Khan played a role in bringing the 'Women Question' in the domain of larger reform movement. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries we see a far reaching impact not only in the abolition of specific social practices like sati or kulin marriage practices, but also in setting up educational institutions for women in Muslim communities (Imtiaz, 2009). But throughout the historical process we can see a detachment of
men in the social problems regarded as the issues of'Women.'
One of the compelling reasons for engaging men in the context of Bangladesh is that we actually do not have any choice. Men are inescapably related with gender inequality and VAWG in the context of Bangladesh. In the current gender order of Bangladesh, men predominantly hold economic resources, political power, cultural and religious authority that are essential for structural change in the society. On the other hand, the implementation of significant legislatures requires the engagement of men at the grassroots level. Many a time these institutions perpetuate gender inequitable environment through the dominance of men. From the police stations to healthcare and local administration, there is a predominance of men. For these very pragmatic reasons, we need the active engagement of men from the top to the bottom.
In our context, men are the main perpetrators of VAWG. A recent study conducted by IGDDRB, surveying more than 2,000 men in urban and rural areas, showed that 10% of urban and 14% of rural men perpetrated sexual violence against women. About 80% of men who had forced a woman into sex were motivated by sexual entitlement. Surprisingly, 57-67% of men sexually abused women just for 'fun.' Another study concluded that 76% of the tertiary level female students faced at least one type of sexual harassment during their study period in the universities inside and/or outside campus by campus-related people, where the main perpetrators were other tertiary level male students from other classes and male students of victim's own classes (HDRG, 2013). These two results raise complex questions - why would men sexually abuse women just for 'fun'? Why should students of our country, having the privilege of getting higher education, be found as the top sexual harassers? Have all men suddenly become sadists or are there social factors influencing such behaviour of men? These
questions need to be answered and the answers inevitably involve engaging and studying men.
Various studies show that construction of masculinity itself is sometimes related with criminal activities and violence. Men can achieve power, status and higher social position through the use of violence. This is a finding that suggests the need for engaging boys and men against criminal and violent activities by changing their notion of masculinity. Men can play the part of'role models' for other boys and men. This is because the gender relations in the society work in an interactive process. Men playing an active role against VAWG would motivate other men to do the same. These initiatives have been taken in many parts of the world through intervention programmes and public policy. Some initiative can be also seen in Bangladesh. For example, The Brave Man Campaign presents a much needed space for boys to explore and reflect on their perceptions of gender, women and their own masculinity. The BMC seeks to send the message that 'any man can be real man but it requires courage to be brave. A man can only resist VAW if he is brave.' The campaign targeted various schools in and outside Dhaka. Development interventions like these can create new configuration of practices among men that are more gender equitable and non-sexist.
The National Women Development Policy (2011) acknowledges the need of engaging men
as agents against VAWG. But the policy paper limits men's engagement in 'awareness building,' 'patriarchal attitude change,' and 'public awareness building' (pp.12). So, the policy actions for men remain within a narrow scope rather than proposing a guideline for changing men and masculinity of the society as a whole. Men and boys are the gatekeepers for gender equality. So, it is up to the policymakers whether they want to make them willing gatekeepers supporting and initiating change or just keep treating them as the target group who need to be changed. For initiating change, the masculinity of the men and boys has to shift towards a more gender equitable state. It requires men and boys to think and act in new ways.
There are various constraints on engaging men. Many may argue that it shifts resources from women to men. This may create internal conflicts among the coalitions for women empowerment. Other may argue that the whole concept reproduces the dependence of women on men. These criticisms are subject to discussions at practical and theoretical level. Keeping the ultimate goal of improving the condition of women without emphasising on the division of resources may create a general consensus among the actors. On the other hand, engaging men should be considered as the recruitment process for accumulating power rather than becoming dependent on men.
The knowledge on men and masculinity is growing day by day. The strategy for a working gender policy will have to take this knowledge into account and use it for developing strategies concerning men and boys in our own context. The policymakers should investigate the capacities for change among men and focus on enhancing those capacities for creating a society where VAWG is unacceptable.
The writer is a student and researcher preparing a thesis regarding 'gender based violence' under the supervision of Professor Reazul Haque in the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka.