Feminist Informed
Feminism has never been a monolith and the consultation and review process were designed with the intention to include a diversity of feminist perspectives. This intervention is premised on the understanding that structural and systemic gender inequality is a key driver of violence against women and girls. That patriarchy, a system of oppression that perpetuates and upholds male entitlement and male privilege, is a global challenge facing women and girls.
However, the intervention was also designed understanding that patriarchy cannot be divorced from the reality of colonialism and how it has impacted communities and countries. And that racial and class disparities, sexual orientation, and ethnicity impact people’s position in the social hierarchy, that what serves as protective factors against men’s violence for some women, will not work for others.
With that in mind, the following holds true for this intervention,
- Humanitarian emergencies and displacement contribute to increased stressors. Loss of employment, increased poverty, increased food insecurity and xenophobia, are just a few examples of the additional stress placed on refugee and displaced families.
- Gender inequality, driven by patriarchy and upheld by violence or the threat of violence is the key driver of GBV. It affects how power is ascribed, how decisions in the home and community are made, and how resources are allocated.
- While displacement increases stressors, this intervention recognizes that the decision to use violence or the threat of violence against women and girls is a choice made by the perpetrator. The perpetrator, not the survivor should be held accountable for their choice.
- Not all men are violent, but all men benefit from patriarchy through the male privilege it bestows on them by virtue of gender.
- Men have a role and responsibility to be active participants in ending GBV and supporting survivors.
- Positioning women as daughters, wives, or mothers in need of men’s protection or in need of men being “gender champions” serves to reinforce the same patriarchal gender norms that contribute to GBV.
- An ‘allyship’ frame is a more constructive way for men, as a group ascribed power over women, to engage in ending GBV.
Accountable to women and girls
The intervention, while engaging men and boys in violence prevention efforts, is designed to centre the safety and well-being of women, girls, and survivors. Accountability, in practice means those in positions of power listen to oppressed groups that are disproportionately impacted by Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Child Early Marriage and Forced Unions (CEMFU) and Rape. Research identifies those most impacted as women and girls and as such their voices and lived experiences should shape and guide how this intervention is implemented. It also requires that the intervention does not perpetuate or reinforce (intentionally or not) unequal power dynamics between women and men, but instead addresses it as a root cause of violence.
Women’s groups were extensively involved in consultations before and during the curriculum development, and the process was informed by two Technical Advisory Groups in Colombia and Nigeria. When adapting the intervention to different contexts, humanitarian practitioners should engage refugee and displaced women and girls and women led Civil Society to inform the adaptation process. This will ensure that male engagement efforts reflect their priorities, needs, and concerns. Prior to starting the intervention organizations should ensure they have well established links with GBV response and women’s empowerment programs.
Safety and wellbeing of women and girls must remain a priority, in line with the Do No Harm principle. Any risks for women and girls must be identified and mitigated in a timely manner. To ensure further accountability, accessible feedback mechanisms should be established and advertised not only to the intervention participants, but also in the wider community. This allows women and girls to provide feedback and identify any unintended consequences the intervention may have.
A final layer of accountability to women, girls and survivors is that participants commit to being non-violent over the course of the intervention.