The South African Men as Partners Network: Mobilizing

Men for Gender Justice

MAP Mission Statement

• The South African MAP Network strives to create a society in which men and women can enjoy equitable, healthy, and happy relationships that contribute to the development of a just and democratic society.

MAP GOAL

• The MAP Network works with men to promote gender equality, end domestic and sexual violence and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS.

MAP Principles

• Human Rights and Social Justice Framework

• Accountable to the women’s movement.• Evidence based. • Understand that contemporary gender

roles compromise both women’s and men’s health.

• Recognize that men have a real stake in changing & can be part of the solution.

• Promote youth and PLWA leadership

MAP Overview

• The MAP Network now consists of more than 50 civil society organizations working closely with National, Provincial and Local Government Departments and the media in many of South Africa’s nine provinces.

• Reach thousands of men through workshops each year and many more with range of media.

• Ongoing quantitative and qualitative evaluation• Moved from narrow focus on workshops to

systems approach using spectrum of change as programming guide.

The Spectrum of Change

• Research, Monitoring & Evaluation• Influencing Development and enforcement of

Progressive Policy • Community Mobilization

• Strengthening Organizational Capacity• Fostering Coalitions and Networks

• Educating Key Stakeholders • Community Education/Media & IEC

• Strengthening Individual Knowledge and Skills

Community Mobilization

• Attempt to promote dynamic relationships between duty bearers, rights holders and civil society organizations

• MAP works to strengthen the ability of community members to assert their constitutional and human rights and to make demands on state, private sector & civil society

• Work with government to build their capacity to meet obligations.

• Work with civil society organizations to improve their capacity to serve as catalysts and intermediaries.

Community Mobilization Strategies: Partnership & Integration

• Work with established advocacy organizations to integrate emphasis on men and gender equality—TAC, Trade Unions etc.

Community Mobilization Strategies: Government

• Work with National, Provincial and Local Government.

• Establishment of NGM Working Group on Men and Gender Equality

• Mainstreaming of men and gender equality work within government.

Community Mobilization: Media & IEC Strategies

• Challenge social norms that exaggerate men’s resistance to gender equality by offering alternative representations of gender equitable men & by challenging fears of ostracism and isolation.

Community Mobilization Strategies: Community Ed Events

• Community Education Events, Marches and Rallies.

• Emphasize partnership with media-SABC & 16 Days

Community Mobilization StrategiesCommunity Action Teams

• Membership recruited at workshops, community education events.

• Relatively autonomous and self determined activities

• Currently about 10 youth CATS active in JHB and CPT.

Community Action Teams-Activities

Community Action Teams-Activities

Community Mobilization: Shifting the Field Internationally (emerging)• MenEngage Initiative—EH, Promundo,

Oxfam, FVPF, Save the Children Sweden, Sayahog, WHO.

• Advocating for scaling up of men and gender equality work

• Supporting local and regional advocacy• Learning exchanges

Room for OptimismPromundo & Horizons Research in Brazil indicates:• Young men with more equitable norms were between four and eight

times less likely to report STI symptoms at 6 & 12 months post intervention.

• young men with more equitable gender norm scale scores were 2.4 times as likely to use condoms with a primary partner at last sex.

• MAP Research:

• 71% of past MAP workshop participants believed that women should have the same rights as men, whereas only 25% of men in the control group felt this way.

•  82 % of the participants thought that it was not normal for men to sometimes beat their wives, whereas only 38% of the control group felt that way.

Thank You

• USAID/OGAC• Sida• CIDA• Ford Foundation• Hope Education Trust• UNAIDS• UNICEF• South African Office on the Status of Women• Western Cape Dept of Social Services