Linking policy to practice

Evidence increasingly shows that in order to end high levels of violence against women perpetrated across Africa, it is important to work with men and women together to change the social norms that perpetuate GBV, including challenging men’s behaviours and attitudes, as well as supporting men to take a stand against such violence. In addition to this, laws and policies have the potential to lead to large-scale changes in men’s attitudes and practices. It is therefore essential to build a shared policy agenda on engaging men and boys among civil society, national policymakers and regional bodies.

In light of this, Sonke Gender Justice Network, along with its MenEngage country partners, was awarded a grant in 2011 by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women – administered by UN Women – to engage men and boys in Kenya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone to prevent violence against women. The goal of this project is to work with men and boys towards a conducive policy environment for GBV and HIV laws and policies in these three countries and the results are shared in this presentation at the SVRI Forum in Bangkok in 2013.