As in many regions of the world, violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a serious health and human rights issue in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. Although initial efforts focused on protecting victims and punishing aggressors, there is growing consensus that to prevent VAWG – and eventually eliminate it – men and boys must be engaged as part of the solution.
Equimundo and partners released a new report, Engaging Men in Public Policies for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls, to provide evidence on what works. It examines the effectiveness of policies, action plans, and impact-evaluated programs aiming to engage men in the prevention and eradication of all forms of VAWG.
The report reveals that it is possible to change men’s attitudes toward VAWG through promising, innovative interventions. In addition to assessing the existing work in LAC, the report provides several recommendations on how to expand and strengthen these efforts to engage men in preventing VAWG.
These recommendations include:
- Conduct more VAWG-prevention research with a focus on gender and masculinities;
- Include men’s engagement in VAWG-prevention laws and national action plans;
- Implement more sector-level initiatives to engage men in preventing VAWG;
- Conduct more VAWG-prevention campaigns directed at men; and
- Carry out more VAWG-prevention programs and interventions with the general male population.
The report was produced by UN Women, UNFPA, EME/CulturaSalud, and Equimundo, in collaboration with the MenEngage Latin America Network.
Read the full publication in English and Spanish here.