Mercy Global Concern - 2004

Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century": (a) The role
of men and boys in achieving gender equality

Statement submitted by Franciscans International and the Sisters of Mercy.

Mercy Global Concern: Briefing Paper Number 2, January 2004

The Secretary-General has received the following statement, which is circulated in accordance with paragraphs 30 and 31 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996.

The above-mentioned NGO's would like to comment on the theme regarding the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality.

This statement addresses two important social injustices: the HIV/AIDS epidemic and gender inequality, where the full participation of men and boys is required if any substantial results are to be achieved. Men and boys must be involved in all levels of this effort: from governments and civil society to media and the private sector. However, governments need to lead the way to protect their citizens from a virus that does not respect culture, religion, or tradition but does discriminate on the basis of sex. This statement stresses the role of men and boys in HIV prevention, but we are concerned about their responsibility in reducing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and providing care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Article 14 of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS states that "gender equality and the empowerment of women are fundamental elements in the reduction of the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS." (para. 14)

Few international issues are more of a direct result of gender inequality than the AIDS epidemic. Not only are women 2 to 4 times more physiologically susceptible than men to infection, but women frequently do not have the power to negotiate safe sex or refuse unwanted sex. These are primary reasons why among those aged 15-24 in Africa, women were found to be two and a half times as likely to be infected as their male counterparts. Gender norms that encourage men and boys to engage in risky sexual behavior need to be changed. These gender norms, directly related to social and cultural patterns of male dominance, can be changed by education, by creating alternative rituals and customs to achieve socially desirable goals, and by men taking responsibility for their actions. High levels of violence against women also are indicative of these discriminatory norms and further contribute to higher risks of HIV infection for women. With multiple factors making women more vulnerable than men to infection, it is especially important to address the gender dimensions of the epidemic as noted as being of particular concern in the UNAIDS Progress Report on the Global Response to HIV/AIDS. While the biological risk factors of HIV infection among women cannot be reduced, social factors that promote gender inequality increase the likelihood of women becoming infected with HIV can and should be negated.

The Beijing Platform for Action for gender equality explicitly states that it will only be accomplished if men and boys are actively involved and encouraged in all efforts (para 58). Men in positions of power are sometimes unwilling to be responsible and accountable for the obligations that come with that power. Frequently, men refuse to be responsible for their sexual behavior and put women at risk for HIV infection with their seemingly "masculine" behavior. They are also thought to be immalleable in their conceptions of gender and masculinity. However, programs such as Engender Health's Men as Partners Programme in South Africa and Mongol Vision's HIV/AIDS project with the military in Mongolia show that men are open to changing their attitudes on gender and that men's behavior is not fixed or resistant to change. Absolving this social injustice, men are being made aware of the adverse consequences of their dominance over women and fully understand the effects of gender inequality on HIV/AIDS. At the same time, men are being informed as to how they can make women and girls less vulnerable to HIV infection. More projects like these need to be funded and promoted. Men have been able to challenge traditional gender roles and understand they also have much to gain from gender equality.

In order to reduce gender inequality, one needs to determine where power imbalances occur between genders. Article 5 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women says that States must take appropriate measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women to achieve the elimination of prejudices and practices that are based on the idea of the inferiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women. UNAIDS has urged countries to ensure that the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS targets are reached by assessing and addressing the laws, policies, and practices that increase the vulnerability of women and girls. Laws, policies, and practices that discriminate against women and promote traditional conceptions of masculinity are in direct disagreement with this Declaration.

Article 47 of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS states that governments must "challenge gender stereotypes and attitudes, and gender inequalities in relation to HIV/AIDS, encouraging the active involvement of men and boys." (para. 47)

Governments must change policies and laws that promote gender inequality if they seriously wish to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. There is also a need for a comprehensive analysis of cultural norms that might increase the risk of HIV infection among women, and the formulation of an all-encompassing response on an individual and societal level to counter harmful norms.

We have found a need for cultural norms to be redefined in order to create policies that promote respect for women and individual responsibility. As culture propagates socially acceptable norms, a cultural transformation is needed so that masculinity does not continue to be equated with dominance and oppression. Other "masculine" norms such as aggression, sexual entitlement, lack of responsibility, and sexual recklessness need to be confronted and reduced. Numerous studies have analyzed conceptions of masculinity and come up with suggestions for a more gender equitable society. To create a world where gender equality is a norm, the above-stated non-governmental organizations see a need on the societal level for:

• Recognition that discrimination and stigma exist, preventing people from receiving testing, treatment, or sufficient knowledge of prevention
• Openness to discussions regarding sexuality and gender equality
• Alternative conceptions of masculinity

- A true man cares for his family and takes responsibility for his actions
- Strength and self-reliance are expressed within a marriage through respect and equality rather than through violence and domination
- Fathers take responsibility for their children, in particular ensuring that their daughters receive education, health care and protection

• New traditions and rituals for purification and the affirmation of social bonds. Families and societies should:

- Replace rituals such as widow inheritance, female genital cutting, early sexuality, sexual initiation, and having sex with a virgin to cure HIV/AIDS with ones that achieve socially desirable goals without harming either party.
- Recognize that sexual practices that put women at risk, such as dry sex, must be changed
- Reclaim progressive traditional features, values, and practices that promote gender equality

• A proper approach to the socialization and realities of men which include:

- Socialization at an early age by targeting boys with messages of gender equality
- Accurate and reliable information on sexual and reproductive health; men and boys can NOT simply be assumed to have learned proper risk-reducing techniques from their peers or already have full knowledge of the subject.

• Effective comprehensive policies and programs. This requires

- Involving role models such as athletes, musicians, politicians, community leaders in public conversations about gender and HIV/AIDS;
- Targeting entire communities with grass roots efforts, not just high risk groups, by involving workplaces, faith-based groups, community-based organizations, and the private sector so that men may be gender equitable in all their various roles;
- Reaffirming a commitment to participatory approaches to development and research rather than the top down approach; and
- Supporting economic development so that women will not have to be in positions that require them to use their sexuality as a resource.

• Replacing language that stigmatizes people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Harmony between work and family responsibilities for men and women
• Raising violence as an issue in sexual and reproductive health curriculum
• Reduce physical violence and the threat of domestic violence

Individually, men and boys need to:

• Acknowledge that gender is a human issue, not a women's issue.
• Promote and practice safer and healthy behaviors
• Practice open communication regarding sexuality and reproductive health to build equal and safe partnerships (marriages)
• Be role models for their families and society by advocating respect for women and protecting partners
• Not preclude themselves from receiving correct information on protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS because of masculine ideals of strength and self-reliance
• Actively involve themselves in their own families and also HIV/AIDS programs. These include:

- Child-rearing and reproductive health decisions within their families
- Prevention and capacity building programs
- Preventing HIV transmission in pregnant women, mothers, and their children
- Supporting and caring for people living with AIDS, which will allow them to see the realities of the epidemic

• Ensure that their daughters and sisters attend school in order to be better educated and empowered in their own economic livelihood
• Support women's sexuality by

- Encouraging women who do not exhibit such "feminine" traits as submission, ignorance, and passivity
- Seriously responding to reports of rape and sexual abuse
- Promoting alternatives to the exchange of sexual favors for tuition money

• Work towards peaceful solutions to conflict, as AIDS spreads quicker in areas of war or political unrest

While promoting the role of men and boys in HIV/AIDS prevention and care, it is important that programs do not reinforce power imbalances by giving men complete control over resources and decision-making, especially in the area of reproductive health. Involving men and boys in areas that have traditionally been within the control of women should not reduce the power of women but instead create a more equitable divide of social responsibilities.

With a sincere desire, men can promote gender equality and drastically reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, properly care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce the stigma associated with AIDS. Real change will only happen, however, when men change their attitudes and sexual behavior. This must occur as a reevaluation of cultural norms since individual efforts are unlikely to make a significant impact due to the especially restricting social norms that surround sexuality and gender roles.