Violence Prevention and Male Allyship

Global statistics find that approximately one in two children experiences some form of violence; boys are likely to experience violence in homes, schools, and communities. Research also finds that globally, with significant variations within and between countries, about 1 in 3 women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Global data, including Equimundo’s research, also show strong correlations between having experienced violence (physical, sexual, emotional, and/or school-based violence) as a child and having witnessed one’s mother experiencing violence, and that both are linked to adult perpetration of violence, particularly for men. In sum, research affirms how boys and men learn violence and how that violence often pays forward in later use of violence.

Informed and inspired by decades of work by women’s rights activists working to end men’s violence against women, Equimundo has developed evidence-based gender-transformative approaches that seek to change the norms that encourage men’s violence and change the structural drivers of violence, as well as approaches that seek to break the intergenerational transmission of violence.

Research

Our research informs policymakers, corporate leaders, and practitioners on how masculinity can be linked to violence, and explores effective avenues to prevent perpetration of violence before it starts.

• The International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES): IMAGES measures men’s attitudes and practices – along with women’s opinions and reports of men’s practices – on a wide variety of topics related to gender equality including caregiving. Co-coordinated by Equimundo with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), household surveys have been administered to more than 29,477 men and 17,566 women, ages 18 to 59, as part of IMAGES. Learn more.
• Making the Connections: Making the Connections is an ongoing initiative to explore the broad effects of masculine norms on society. Research reports in the Making the Connections series translate theoretical and empirical findings from academic and demographic sources into a concise, readable format suited for broader, non-academic audiences. Learn more.
• Read the Report: Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Violence: The Promise of Psychosocial Interventions to Address Children’s Exposure to Violence.

Programming

Our program approaches engage young and adult men and their partners to question violent versions of masculinity and build violence-free lives.

• Program H: For more than 20 years, we have collaborated with community and institutional partners to engage young men ages 15 to 24 in gender-transformative group education programming that encourages reflection on masculinity, violence, power, and relationships. Program H (H for hombres and homens, men in Spanish and Portuguese) has been implemented in more than 30 countries and found positive results in undermining harmful gender ideas and behaviors – including the ones that lead to violence. Complementary programs and Program H manuals and other resources here.
• Living Peace: Created by Equimundo and the Institut Supéerieur du Lac, the Living Peace methodology was inspired by a lack of programming addressing ongoing and prior community violence. Scaled up by the Living Peace Institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo and adapted in other settings such as Far North Cameroon, Lebanon, and the US, the Living Peace methodology uses a combination of psychosocial support and group education to help men and their partners in conflict, post-conflict, and high-urban violence settings address the effects of trauma as well as promote social restoration. Find out more about Living Peace.
• Program P: Named after padre and pai, the words for father in Spanish and Portuguese, provides concrete strategies and activities to engage men and their female partners to prevent violence in the family by undermining common risk factors driving perpetration of both intimate partner violence and violence against children. The program convenes parents to critically reflect on restrictive gender norms; supports them in learning parenting and relationship skills; encourages them to adopt positive social norms and practice behaviors related to equitable, nurturing, and nonviolent caregiving; and motivates men to become closely involved in their children’s lives as well as support violence-free home environments and their female partner’s decision-making and autonomy. Authored by MenCare partners Red de Masculinidad por la Igualdad de Género, Equimundo, and Fundación CulturaSalud/EME, Program P has been implemented in more than 25 countries. Learn more. 
• Journeys of Transformation: First piloted in Rwanda in 2011 with RWAMREC and Care Rwanda, and since adapted in Latin America, other countries in Africa and parts of Asia, JoT complements women’s economic empowerment initiatives by targeting male partners of female participants to carry out a greater share of care work and support equitable household decision-making, as well as caring, supportive and nonviolent relationships. Learn more.