Good Practice Brief on Male Involvement in GBV Prevention and Response: In Conflict, Post-Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis Settings in Sub-Saharan Africa

"...an emerging body of data affirms the urgency of involving men and boys in GBV prevention and response in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian crisis settings in sub-Saharan Africa.""

This Good Practice Brief presents examples of programmes that involve men and boys in prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV) in conflict, post-conflict, and humanitarian crisis settings in sub-Saharan Africa. It was produced to help provide a better understanding of the importance of engaging men and boys in GBV prevention and response in emergency settings, and is intended to inform policy-making and programming to enable incorporation, replication, or adaptation of these good practices into other GBV prevention and response programmes.

The good practices and insights presented in this Brief were drawn from a 2011-2012 study by Sonke Gender Justice Network (Sonke) and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA): Study On Involving Men and Boys in Preventing and Responding to Gender-based Violence in Conflict, Post-conflict and Humanitarian Crisis Settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Brief first outlines why men and boys should be involved in GBV prevention efforts in conflict, post conflict, and humanitarian crisis settings. "GBV does not begin with conflict or political instability and end with a transition to peace or democracy but it is often more visible and exacerbated in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian crisis settings. These settings therefore provide an opportunity to develop and monitor GBV interventions, and build on political will to reduce violence... It is therefore an important window of opportunity to engage men and boys in gender transformative ways to deal with GBV prevention and response in emergency settings across the continent."

The core of the document is the Key Good Practices section, which provides a definition of what good practice is. It presents eight good practice approaches to involving men and boys in GBV prevention and response. These eight approaches are outlined in detail, with specific examples of how each good practice has been applied in projects and programmes in sub-Saharan African. The following are eight good practice approaches and methods identified:

• Gender transformative programming (that promote an equitable environment by redressing power disparities among men or women) with men and boys and addressing underlying causes of GBV.
• Relevance and replicability.
• Developing key partnerships, a shared policy agenda and linking GBV prevention efforts to local culture.
• Ensuring sustainability, and focusing on building capacity of government agencies, organisations, local communities and individuals.
• Involving men as partners in women's economic rights.
• Using the ecological approach to engage men and boys and address their specific needs.
• Identifying safe spaces for involving men and boys, focusing on benefits and providing role models.
• Approaching men with positive, proactive and contextualised communication.

The conclusion presents a summary of the key good practices. Recommendations are also offered for programmers, policymakers, donors, and United Nations (UN) agencies:

• Policymakers:"Special consideration should be given to developing, implementing, strengthening and improving policies addressing the underlying causes of violence and preventing and responding to GBV in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian crises settings. Those efforts should seek to meaningfully involve men and boys."
• Programme planners: "Joint GBV prevention and response programming that engages women and men, girls and boys, should be promoted, and it should be documented, assessed and evaluated wherever possible." This could include more community-driven participatory initiatives, actively engaging male community members in discussions to identify concerns and effective solutions to violent attitudes and behaviours, and amplifying men and women who are already challenging harmful norms.
• UN agencies and donors:"UN agencies and donors should support additional efforts to engage men and boys in GBV prevention and response in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian crisis settings and partner with government and civil society (particularly MenEngage Africa partners and other women's rights organisations) to strengthen these initiatives."