Work with men to end violence against women: a critical stocktake

Canadian Gender-Based Violence Prevention Programs: Gaps and Opportunities

Gender-based violence (GBV) prevention programs have long played an important part in both teaching the realities of GBV and training people in techniques to avert, mitigate, and respond to violence. This article examines the current state of GBV prevention training in Canada through an analysis of 81 GBV education programs provided by antiviolence organizations and universities. We identified notable gaps in topics relating to technology-facilitated violence and abuse in programs targeting men and in the provision of bystander intervention training. Each of these areas represents important, but as yet unrealized, opportunities in violence prevention.

Engaging men in gender transformative work in institutions of higher learning: A case of the men's hub at Makerere University

It was noted that globally, sexual harassment (SH), abuse, and exploitation in higher education institutions (HEIs) remain a problem. In Uganda, it regularly made headlines in the media. Yet, it was only after high-profile cases were reported in the media that a spotlight was put on the problem. Moreover, despite there being policies on sexual harassment, changes in reporting processes, and a roster for the swift investigation of sexual harassment cases, sexual harassment persisted in the respective units of Makerere University. The study reported here was based on a project code-named "Whole University Approach: Kicking Sexual Harassment out of Higher Education Institutions in Uganda" (hereafter referred to as the KISH Project). It was action research intended to move beyond feminizing SH interventions and draw in all the key stakeholders with respectively tailored interventions that were need-based. The project applied multiple interventions targeting different stakeholders (including students, academic and support staff, and administrators) to address gaps, prevention, and support for the survivors of SH in HEIs. One of the project components is a "men's hub," which is aimed at providing space for both male staff and male students to hold dialogs on positive masculinity and call them to act as agents of change in a bid to address sexual harassment within higher education institutions (HEIs). As a platform that brings men together to discuss the issues of sexual harassment, the sessions at the men's hub enhanced their confidence and ability to prevent and respond to sexual harassment as well as their knowledge about the issues of masculinity and how they relate to sexual harassment. It was found to be an empowering platform with opportunities for awareness creation and the potential for amplifying the role of men in influencing change by speaking up and acting on their masculinity to address sexual harassment.

Soccer clubs as avenues for gender transformative socialization of adolescent boys in Cape Town and Mthatha, South Africa: A qualitative study

In this paper, we explore the gender socialization of adolescent boys in soccer clubs, and ask whether there are opportunities for integrating gender transformative elements into that socialization. This qualitative study involved 11 in-depth interviews and informal conversations with male soccer coaches from Gugulethu township and Mthatha town in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, respectively. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. We found that the coaches felt that the adolescent boys in their soccer clubs faced serious social and emotional challenges, with the boys' poor socio-economic backgrounds and fragmented family structures being major contributors to these challenges. Most coaches also gave themselves the responsibility to try to address some of the challenges faced by their club members. To do this, they employed specific strategies, including creating an alliance with parents and professionals. In the process, the coaches engaged the boys on topics around respect, sexual and reproductive health, and avoiding alcohol, drugs, and involvement in criminal gangs. Some coaches also played a social fathering role to club members as a way of helping them to think differently about their lives, redirect risky practices, and reduce the chance for poor health outcomes. These findings highlight the role of soccer clubs and coaches as potential avenues for health- and equity-promoting gender socialization of adolescent boys.

Nursing students' perception on their readiness to combat gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a critical public health concern, demanding for global coordinated efforts. While nursing students form part of a healthcare team with significant roles in identifying and responding to abused victims, studies assessing their readiness to combat GBV are limited in Namibia.

Aim

To assess undergraduate nursing students' perceptions and to determine the relationship of the study variables to readiness to combat GBV during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Namibia.

Setting

This study was conducted at a university satellite campus in Namibia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 105 third and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students using ADKAR model. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 27.0, for descriptive statistics and logistic regression in determining relationships between study variables.

Results

The study results show a mean readiness of 1.65 ± 0.19. Most respondents perceived themselves ready (73.3%), whereas 26.7% were not. Readiness was common with reinforcement (89.5%) and awareness (84.8%), knowledge (81.9%) and desire (76.2%) subscales. Predictors of readiness in this study were gender and age (R 2 = 0.40; R 2 = 0.37; p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion

The results of this study highlight that age and gender were significant predictors for readiness among the undergraduate students in Namibia. The results highlight the importance of GBV education in a nursing curriculum. A qualitative design is recommended for future studies.

Contribution

The results of this study will support global efforts in strengthening the health system response on GBV incidences.

Barriers to Help-Seeking for Domestic Violence in Kyrgyzstan: Perspectives of Criminal Justice, Social, Health, and Educational Professionals

Purpose

Research with survivors of domestic violence (DV) suggests that most do not seek supportive services from formal organizations. The purpose of this study is to understand the structural and legal barriers that prevent survivors of DV from seeking help in Kyrgyzstan from the perspectives of professionals within the areas of law enforcement, judicial system, social, health, and educational sectors working directly with survivors.

Methods

We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews and 8 focus groups with 83 professionals who are employed as domestic violence or legal advocates, psychologists, healthcare providers, educators, and law enforcement officials who had worked with the survivors of DV in their current positions. We analyzed the data using a multistep strategy derived from grounded theory methods.

Results

The findings of the study highlighted six structural barriers: (1) financial dependence on the abuser, (2) stigma and shame of seeking help, (3) few crisis centers and rigid acceptance criteria for temporary protection, (4) the normalization and societal acceptance of abuse, (5) a lack of property rights for women, and (6) distrust of formal services. The participants indicated five legal barriers, including the following: (1) insufficient sanctions for abusers, (2) unclear provisions and inadequate enforcement of law, (3) a low likelihood of prosecution, (4) poor procedures, stereotypes of survivors, and revictimization during investigations, and (5) protection for abusers who work in positions of power.

Conclusions

The structural and legal barriers that survivors face when seeking help are formidable challenges that will require extensive support from professionals working in the fields of criminal justice, social work, and public health. Findings suggest that both short-term and longer-term interventions that require sustainability of prevention efforts are necessary to address barriers to help-seeking identified in the study.

Analysis of reporting of family violence reporting in print media in regional Western Australia

OBJECTIVES

This research aimed to gain insights into the reporting of family violence (FV) and to explore any changes in FV reporting associated with a FV primary prevention initiative in Geraldton, Western Australia.

METHODS

An in-depth analysis of articles published by the Geraldton Guardian in 2019 examined the nature of FV reporting. Analysis was based on deductive coding from existing literature and inductive identification of new themes. A comparative analysis examined articles from the Geraldton Guardian and Albany Advertiser over the same three-month period in 2015, 2017 and 2019 to analyse trends in FV reporting.

RESULTS

Of 135 articles analysed, there was alignment with five previously reported themes and two new themes were identified: FV as a public health issue; and community responses to reduce FV. Episodic framing was overwhelmingly associated with court reporting. There was more reporting of efforts at primary prevention of FV over time in both newspapers.

CONCLUSIONS

Local media can contribute to the promotion of community and public health issues related to FV. Efforts are needed to improve court reporting to situate FV in a broader context.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

Concerted efforts to educate the public and journalists can support FV being recognised as a public health issue.

Reproductive coercion and abuse against women from minority ethnic backgrounds: views of service providers in Australia

Reproductive coercion and abuse is defined as behaviour that deliberately interferes with a person's reproductive autonomy. It is typically perpetrated by men against women in a context of fear and control and includes forcing a woman to become pregnant or to terminate a pregnancy. There is a dearth of qualitative research investigating experiences of reproductive coercion and abuse, particularly for women from minority ethnic backgrounds. In this study, we address this gap through qualitative analysis of data from six focus groups with service providers in Australia. Three main themes were developed: 1) exploiting structural inequalities; 2) women as reproductive property; and 3) pregnancy as a form of control. Findings confirm the complex interplay between reproductive coercion and abuse, intimate partner and sexual violence, and suggest that community attitudes towards women's role in sex and reproduction and structural risk factors may complicate this nexus even further for minority ethnic women. It is important for service providers supporting minority ethnic women - particularly in antenatal and abortion care - to be aware of reproductive coercion and abuse. Similarly, policies concerning access to financial support for minority ethnic women should acknowledge the critical role this could play in facilitating or preventing abuse.

'I trap her with a CD, then tomorrow find her with a big old man who bought her a smart phone'. Constructions of masculinities and transactional sex: a qualitative study from North-Western Tanzania

Men's role in transactional sex is relatively unexplored, limiting initiatives to prevent exploitative transactional sex and its negative health implications for girls and women. We addressed this literature gap by conducting eight focus group discussions and twenty in-depth-interviews with boys and men aged 14 - 49 years in 2015 in Tanzania. We employed a novel combination of theoretical perspectives - gender and masculinities, and social norms - to understand how transactional sex participation contributes to perpetuating gendered hierarchies, and how reference groups influence men's behaviour. Findings signal two gender norms that men display within transactional sex: the expectation of men's provision in sexual relationships, and the expectation that men should exhibit heightened sexuality and sexual prowess. Adherence to these expectations in transactional sex relationships varied between older and younger men and created hierarchies among men and between men and women and girls. We found that approval of transactional sex was contested. Although young men were likely to object to transactional sex, they occupied a structurally weaker position than older men. Findings suggest that interventions should employ gender synchronised and gender transformative approaches and should prioritise the promotion of alternative positive norms over preventing the exchange of gifts or money in relationships.

A case study comparison of engaging community activists to prevent gender-based violence in Peru and Rwanda

Community mobilisation is recognised as an important strategy to shift inequitable gender norms and ensure an enabling environment to prevent gender-based violence (GBV). Yet there is a need to better understand the factors that facilitate effective community activism in particular contexts. Although fundamental to the success of mobilisation programmes, there is also limited appreciation of the experiences and agency of engaged community activists. This paper draws on qualitative evaluations from two community mobilisation GBV prevention programmes: the Gender Violence in the Amazon of Peru (GAP) Project and the Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda. In Peru, participatory data was collected, in addition to baseline and endline interviews with 8 activists. In Rwanda, baseline and endline interviews and observations were conducted with 12 activists, and interviews were conducted with 8 staff members. The data was thematically analysed, and a comparative case study approach was applied to both data sets. The comparative study identified similar programmatic aspects that could hinder or enable activist's engagement and development, and how these are embedded within contextual social and structural factors. We discuss these insights in reference to the current emphasis in public health on individualistic programming, with insufficient attention to how wider environments influence violence prevention programming.

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in Turkey: Determinants From Nationwide Surveys

Domestic violence has severe consequences for women, both psychologically and physiologically. Violence during pregnancy is even riskier, endangering women's lives and the lives of their fetuses. A nationwide survey in Turkey in 2014 revealed that 7% of women who have experienced a pregnancy were exposed to physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner during pregnancy. In this study, the risk and protective factors for this particular type of violence and how it can be addressed in Turkey are discussed using nationally representative data for the first time. Data are obtained from surveys conducted in 2008 and 2014 on domestic violence against women. The analysis is based on multinomial regression models in which the dependent variable consists of three groups of women: those who have not been exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV), those whose have been exposed to physical IPV but not during pregnancy, and those who have been exposed to physical IPV during pregnancy. In this way, the factors that have a significant effect on this severe form of violence can be identified. Our findings show that earlier age of first intercourse; the nature of first intercourse; men's affairs; men's controlling behaviors over women; men's use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling; and experience with violence in the family are all significant factors for IPV during pregnancy. Women's empowerment and the restructuring of the unequal power relations between women and men should be targeted to eradicate the problem in the long run. It is concluded that, for the time being, it is crucial to ensure that legal procedures for domestic violence function well and that health institutions are key components in identifying pregnant women exposed to violence and in guiding them toward institutional and social support mechanisms.

Which men change in intimate partner violence prevention interventions? A trajectory analysis in Rwanda and South Africa

INTRODUCTION

Emerging evidence suggests working with men to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration can be effective. However, it is unknown whether all men benefit equally, or whether different groups of men respond differentially to interventions.

METHODS

We conducted trajectory modelling using longitudinal data from men enrolled in intervention arms of three IPV trials in South Africa and Rwanda to identify trajectories of IPV perpetration. We then use multinomial regression to describe baseline characteristics associated with group allocation.

RESULTS

In South Africa, the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures (SS-CF) trial had 289 men and the CHANGE trial had 803 men, and in Rwanda, Indashyikirwa had 821 men. We identified three trajectories of IPV perpetration: a low-flat (60%-67% of men), high with large reduction (19%-24%) and high with slight increase (10%-21%). Baseline factors associated men in high-start IPV trajectories, compared with low-flat trajectory, varied by study, but included higher poverty, poorer mental health, greater substance use, younger age and more childhood traumas. Attitudes supportive of IPV were consistently associated with high-start trajectories. In separate models comparing high-reducing to high-increasing trajectories, baseline factors associated with reduced IPV perpetration were depressive symptoms (relative risk ratio, RRR=3.06, p=0.01 SS-CF); living separately from their partner (RRR=2.14, p=0.01 CHANGE); recent employment (RRR=1.85, p=0.04 CHANGE) and lower acceptability of IPV (RRR=0.60, p=0.08 Indashyikirwa). Older aged men had a trend towards reducing IPV perpetration in CHANGE (p=0.06) and younger men in Indashyikirwa (p=0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Three distinct groups of men differed in their response to IPV prevention interventions. Baseline characteristics of past traumas and current poverty, mental health and gender beliefs predicted trajectory group allocation. The analysis may inform targeting of interventions towards those who have propensity to change or guide how contextual factors may alter intervention effects.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS

NCT03022370; NCT02823288; NCT03477877.

"A Lightbulb Moment": Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Explore the Challenges and Opportunities for Early Engagement of Australian Men Who Use Violence in Their Relationships

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common complex social and public health problem. Interventions for IPV male perpetrators are an essential component of an early and effective response. Yet little is known about how to engage men in interventions for help-seeking. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we explored men's perceptions of seeking help for an unhealthy relationship and how they could be supported to recognize their behavior and undertake change at an early stage. We recruited 23 men who were currently attending a men's behavior change program in Australia to take part in focus groups. These were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. The TPB concepts of behavioral beliefs, perceived control, and subjective norms were found throughout the data. Behavioral beliefs covered four subthemes: self-awareness, self-reflection and agency, the influence of others to change, and needing the right message in the right place. Perceived control was connected to these men's understandings of what it means to be a man. Subjective norms were rarely raised, but there was some indication that men's perceptions of societal norms about men as violent influenced a perceived lack of agency to change behavior. Our findings highlight the complexity of, and challenges in, engaging men who may use violence before they reach crisis point and justice intervenes. Despite this, participating men could find acceptable an appropriately developed and easy-to-access intervention that enhances recognition of behaviors and provides links to supports. Health professionals or researchers developing early interventions targeting these men need to take the engagement challenges into account.

He for she? Variation and exaggeration in men's support for women's empowerment in northern Tanzania

Achieving gender equality fundamentally requires a transfer of power from men to women. Yet data on men's support for women's empowerment (WE) remains scant and limited by reliance on self-report methodologies. Here, we examine men's support for WE as a sexual conflict trait, both via direct surveys (n = 590) and indirectly by asking men's wives (n = 317) to speculate on their husband's views. Data come from a semi-urban community in Mwanza, Tanzania. Consistent with reduced resource competition and increased exposure to relatively egalitarian gender norms, higher socioeconomic status predicted greater support for WE. However, potential demographic indicators of sexual conflict (high fertility, polygyny, large spousal age gap) were largely unrelated to men's support for WE. Contrasting self- and wife-reported measures suggests that men frequently exaggerate their support for women in self-reported attitudes. Discrepancies were especially pronounced among men claiming the highest support for WE, but smallest among men who held a professional occupation and whose wife participated in wage labour, indicating that these factors predict genuine support for WE. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of both individual variation and patriarchal gender norms, emphasising the benefits of greater exchange between the evolutionary human sciences and global health research on these themes.

Modelling collective action to change social norms around domestic violence: social dilemmas and the role of altruism

Interventions promoting collective action have been used to prevent domestic violence in a range of settings, but their mechanisms of operation remain unclear. We formalise and combine feminist theoretical approaches to domestic violence into a game-theoretic model of women's collective action to change gendered social norms and outcomes. We show that social norms create a social dilemma in which it is individually rational for women to abstain from action to prevent domestic violence among neighbours, but all women suffer negative consequences if none take action. Promoting altruism among women can overcome the social dilemma. Discouraging women from tolerating domestic violence, imposing additional external punishment on men for perpetrating violence, or lowering costs to women of taking action against violence may not work or even backfire. We invite researchers on community mobilisation to use our framework to frame their understandings of collective action to prevent domestic violence.

'Violence exists to show manhood': Nepali men's views on domestic violence - a qualitative study

Background

There is significant evidence of the prevalence and factors associated with domestic violence in high and low-income country settings. However, men’s views on domestic violence are still understudied and have never been reported in Nepali society.

Objective

The aim of the study was to explore Nepali men’s perceptions regarding domestic violence in their communities.

Method

The authors undertook a qualitative study using focus group discussions.

Results

Sixty-six married men, considered they were responsible for upholding family discipline and physically demonstrating their masculinity, and they suggested that violence was a mean for achieving this. Men’s frustration when unable to fulfil their family’s expectations or material needs, and cultural attitudes that precluded interference in other families’ lives, were perceived as factors contributing to domestic violence. The men held the opinion that women also perpetrated domestic violence. Some men were reluctant to accept domestic violence as a norm in Nepali families and were aware of recent changes in societal expectations regarding gender roles.

Conclusion

Overall, the Nepali men who participated in the study held different and sometimes opposing views on domestic violence, ranging from violence justified as a necessity for family discipline, uneasy acceptance that violence was commonplace in families, to definite opposition to the use of domestic violence. The study’s findings provide information for identifying points of intervention for violence-prevention efforts and strategies to alter the social and cultural norms that lead to acceptance of domestic violence.

Trouble in Paradigm: "Gender Transformative" Programming in Violence Prevention

The World Health Organization encourages a "gender transformative" paradigm for preventing violence against women and girls. Gender transformative interventions engage men and boys to reflect critically on-and then to challenge and change-gender-inequitable attitudes and behaviors. To interpret the mixed findings of research evaluating such programs, we review the "social norms" model that informs the paradigm. We bolster the paradigmatic conceptualization of social norms through insights about how exposure to trauma shapes gendered patterns of victimization and perpetration, about gendered violence from research on homophobic bullying, and about transforming local regimes of gender accountability.

"We Learn How to Become Good Men": Working with Male Allies to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls in Urban Informal Settlements in Mumbai, India

Engaging men has now become part of established global efforts to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), with most interventions focusing on making men's behaviors and attitudes more gender equitable. While scholarship on male allies has demonstrated the nature of their transformations and motivations, less attention has been paid to their negotiations of masculinity, privilege, the intersection between subjecthood and social contexts, and how these inform their engagements with women activists' anti-violence work in their communities. We explore questions of men's engagement in this article, which is based on a pilot ethnographic study with male allies in a VAWG prevention program in the informal settlements of Dharavi in Mumbai, India. We found that while men are able to acquire "knowledge" and "awareness" through the intervention, it produces an individuating effect wherein the structural nature of VAWG is obscured due to an emphasis on men's individual traits. This further informs participants' understanding of masculinity, which is marked by ambivalence as men negotiate multiple hegemonic masculinities and socioeconomic anxieties. One reason for this is that interventions with men are unable to destabilize public-private boundaries in informal settlements, which continue to treat VAWG as "private matters." We discuss the implications for local and global responses to engender accountability among male allies.

Minority migrant men's attitudes toward female genital mutilation: Developing strategies to engage men

This article explores minority migrant men's attitudes towards female genital mutilation (FGM), and how these attitudes can be used to develop strategies to engage men in the eradication of FGM. Based on interviews and focus group discussions, the article finds that men's attitudes can be enabling, disabling or neutral: the identification of and variations between these need to be taken into account when developing strategies to engage men in the eradication of FGM. There is currently a window of opportunity for involving minority migrant men in the prevention of FGM and in the challenging of a minority migrant gender regime.

Programas de atenção a homens autores de violência contra as mulheres: um panorama das intervenções no Brasil

Resumo A violência contra mulheres é considerada um grave problema de saúde pública, uma violação dos direitos em todo o mundo. Como parte das políticas de enfrentamento a esse tipo de violência, a Lei Maria da Penha prevê a participação de homens autores de violência (HAV) em programas de atenção cuja atuação principal é a realização de grupos reflexivos. Este artigo apresenta um mapeamento de programas para HAV no Brasil realizado entre 2015 e 2016. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, exploratória e descritiva realizada em dois momentos. No primeiro, foram localizados 41 programas das cinco regiões do país, dos quais 26 responderam um questionário com perguntas abertas e fechadas. Os dados foram analisados segundo quatro categorias: estrutura do programa, metodologia empregada, monitoramento e avaliação e resultados e desafios. No segundo momento, foram analisados outros mapeamentos de programas brasileiros e internacionais com HAV, além de documentos nacionais e internacionais que sugerem diretrizes para sua execução. Notou-se semelhanças entre os programas encontrados e os documentos analisados, como o vínculo das iniciativas com instâncias governamentais, fundamentação nas teorias de gênero e modalidade de intervenções em grupo. A partir do diálogo entre outros mapeamentos, estudos apresentados e resultados encontrados, sugere-se diretrizes mínimas para a realização de grupos reflexivos.

Adolescent and Young Adult Male Mental Health: Transforming System Failures Into Proactive Models of Engagement

Adolescent and young adult men do poorly on indicators of mental health evidenced by elevated rates of suicide, conduct disorder, substance use, and interpersonal violence relative to their female peers. Data on global health burden clearly demonstrate that young men have a markedly distinct health risk profile from young women, underscoring different prevention and intervention needs. Evidence indicates that boys disconnect from health-care services during adolescence, marking the beginning of a progression of health-care disengagement and associated barriers to care, including presenting to services differently, experiencing an inadequate or poorly attuned clinical response, and needing to overcome pervasive societal attitudes and self-stigma to access available services. This review synthesizes key themes related to mental ill health in adolescent boys and in young adult men. Key social determinants are discussed, including mental health literacy, self-stigma and shame, masculinity, nosology and diagnosis, and service acceptability. A call is made for focused development of policy, theory, and evaluation of targeted interventions for this population, including gender-synchronized service model reform and training of staff, including the e-health domain. Such progress is expected to yield significant social and economic benefits, including reduction to mental ill health and interpersonal violence displayed by adolescent boys and young adult men.

Men's perspectives on women's empowerment and intimate partner violence in rural Bangladesh

Intimate partner violence (IPV) may increase as women in patriarchal societies become empowered, implicitly or explicitly challenging prevailing gender norms. Prior evidence suggests an inverse U-shaped relationship between women's empowerment and IPV, in which violence against women first increases and then decreases as more egalitarian gender norms gradually gain acceptance. By means of focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews with men in 10 Bangladeshi villages, this study explored men's evolving views of women, gender norms and the legitimacy of men's perpetration of IPV in the context of a gender transition. It examines men's often-contradictory narratives about women's empowerment and concomitant changes in norms of masculinity, and identifies aspects of women's empowerment that are most likely to provoke a male backlash. Findings suggest that men's growing acceptance of egalitarian gender norms and their self-reported decreased engagement in IPV are driven largely by pragmatic self-interest: their desire to improve their economic status and fear of negative consequences of IPV.

Getting men in the room: perceptions of effective strategies to initiate men's involvement in gender-based violence prevention in a global sample

As engaging men in gender-based violence prevention efforts becomes an increasingly institutionalised component of gender equity work globally, clarity is needed about the strategies that best initiate male-identified individuals' involvement in these efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived relevance and effectiveness of men's engagement strategies from the perspective of men around the world who have organised or attended gender-based violence prevention events. Participants responded to an online survey (available in English, French and Spanish) and rated the effectiveness of 15 discrete engagement strategies derived from earlier qualitative work. Participants also provided suggestions regarding strategies in open-ended comments. Listed strategies cut across the social ecological spectrum and represented both venues in which to reach men, and the content of violence prevention messaging. Results suggest that all strategies, on average, were perceived as effective across regions of the world, with strategies that tailor messaging to topics of particular concern to men (such as fatherhood and healthy relationships) rated most highly. Open-ended comments also surfaced tensions, particularly related to the role of a gender analysis in initial men's engagement efforts. Findings suggest the promise of cross-regional adaptation and information sharing regarding successful approaches to initiating men's anti-violence involvement.

Desconstruindo expectativas de gênero a partir de uma posição minoritária: como dialogar com homens autores de violência contra mulheres?

Resumo Este artigo discute limites e possibilidades da prática de um grupo reflexivo junto a homens autores de violência contra mulheres. Apoia-se em um estudo etnográfico que incluiu observação-participante e entrevistas com os facilitadores de um grupo realizado em uma organização feminista não governamental em parceria com a justiça criminal. A partir da discussão de uma cena emblemática, argumentamos a favor de um processo de trabalho dialógico como uma alternativa que pode expandir os limites da abordagem judicial: para dialogar com o grupo de pares, os facilitadores precisam levar em consideração a posição minoritária dos pontos de vista feministas no campo das masculinidades. Só esse passo permite cooperar com os participantes para que, a partir do compartilhamento espontâneo e genuíno de experiências, reconheçam o caráter inadequado de suas expectativas em relação às mulheres. Deste modo instaura-se uma dinâmica de cuidado entre homens, favorável à mitigação das violências e complementar da promoção da equidade de gênero.

Tackling gender inequalities and intimate partner violence in the response to HIV: moving towards effective interventions in Southern and Eastern Africa

Ending intimate partner violence (IPV) and reducing gender inequalities are recognised as critical to "'ending AIDS" by 2030. Amongst women, experiencing IPV has been shown to increase HIV acquisition, reduce women's ability to use HIV prevention strategies and reduce adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In Southern and Eastern Africa there has recently been a significant push to strengthen programming around this through broad funding and programming streams. However, while gender inequality underpins IPV and HIV acquisition, in different contexts a variety of other factors intersect to shape this vulnerability. Using reflections focused on young women living in urban informal settlements and the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention, this paper illustrates the need to understand the specific drivers of HIV and IPV in any given context and the need for interventions to prevent this. Any intervention needs to include three key components: 1) resonate with the lived realities of women they target; 2) tackle multiple factors shaping women's vulnerability to IPV and HIV simultaneously; and 3) consider how best to work with men and boys to achieve improved outcomes for women. Such an approach, it is argued, resonating with the "slow research" movement, will yield better outcomes for interventions, but will also require a fundamental rethinking of how interventions to prevent IPV and HIV amongst women are conceptualised, with a greater emphasis on understanding the ways in which gender resonates in each context and how interventions can operate.

Transgressive women don't deserve protection: young men's narratives of sexual violence against women in rural Papua New Guinea

Sexual violence against women and girls is commonplace in Papua New Guinea (PNG). While the experiences of women are rightly given central place in institutional responses to sexual violence, the men who perpetrate violence are often overlooked, an oversight that undermines the effectiveness of prevention efforts. This paper draws on interviews conducted with young men as part of a qualitative longitudinal study of masculinity and male sexuality in a rural highland area of PNG. It explores one aspect of male sexuality: men's narratives of sexual violence. Most striking from the data is that the collective enactment of sexual violence against women and girls is reported as an everyday and accepted practice amongst young men. However, not all women and girls were described as equally at risk, with those who transgress gender roles and roles inscribed and reinforced by patriarchal structures, at greater risk. To address this situation, efforts to reduce sexual violence against women and girls require an increased focus on male-centred intervention to critically engage with the forms of patriarchal authority that give license to sexual violence. Understanding the perceptions and experiences of men as perpetrators of sexual violence is a critical first step in the process of changing normative perceptions of gender, a task crucial to reducing sexual violence in countries such as PNG.

Masculinity and HIV: Dimensions of Masculine Norms that Contribute to Men's HIV-Related Sexual Behaviors

Numerous studies have documented a relationship between masculine norms and men's HIV-related sexual behaviors, but intervening upon this relationship requires a nuanced understanding of the specific aspects of masculine norms that shape men's sexual behaviors. We integrate theories on masculinities with empirical HIV research to identify specific dimensions of masculine norms that influence men's HIV-related sexual behaviors. We identify three major dimensions of masculine norms that shape men's sexual behavior: (1) uncontrollable male sex drive, (2) capacity to perform sexually, and (3) power over others. While the existing literature does help explain the relationship between masculine norms and men's sexual behaviors several gaps remain including: a recognition of context-specific masculinities, an interrogation of the positive influences of masculinity, adoption of an intersectional approach, assessment of changes in norms and behaviors over time, and rigorous evaluations of gender-transformative approaches. Addressing these gaps in future research may optimize prevention efforts.

Changing what it means to 'become a man': participants' reflections on a school-based programme to redefine masculinity in the Balkans

Calls to engage men and boys in efforts to promote health, prevent violence and advance gender equality have grown in recent years. However, there remains little evidence or reflection on how most effectively to change harmful norms related to masculinity. The study addresses this gap by exploring the perspectives of participants in the Young Men Initiative (YMI), an innovative programme that aimed to promote healthier masculinities among boys attending vocational high schools in several Balkan countries through educational workshops, residential retreats and a social marketing campaign. Qualitative data were collected through 37 in-depth interviews and 11 focus-group discussions with boys, youth facilitators and teachers. Findings from four schools (in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Prishtina and Zagreb) suggest that several elements of the programme resonated strongly with participants and supported their meaningful engagement in project activities. Five themes emerged as most salient in identifying how and why specific aspects of YMI positively influenced participants: personal reflection, experience-based learning, connections with youth facilitators, new peer groups and aspirational messaging. Building on these insights, the study highlights potentially useful strategies for other programmes seeking to reach boys and transform their understanding of masculinity.