Engaging men as part of the solution
in the National Action Programme to tackle sexually transgressive behavior and sexual violence
Gender-based violence is a huge problem: nearly half of Dutch women experience physical or sexual violence. Often attempts are made to stop sexual or gender-based violence when it is already happening. But to really stop violence, we need to start at the roots.
Most perpetrators of violence are men, but we know that most men do not commit violence. Moreover, men themselves can be victims of sexual violence, even though in those cases most perpetrators are also men.
All men can help prevent violence by stepping out of the man box, engaging with boys and men around them, and making a difference in the lower levels of the pyramid.
Violence is strongly linked to societal ideas and norms for men and masculinity. This makes violence a men’s problem and a masculinity problem. We must start with men to prevent violence. Emancipator works to transform masculinities to prevent violence and make boys, men and masculinity part of the solution.
With the National Action Programme to tackle sexually transgressive behavior and sexual violence, the government is committed to a multi-year comprehensive approach to address this social problem. With the goal of preventing, recognizing, addressing sexual transgressive behavior and sexual violence, and providing help to victims.
Emancipator received a grant from the Directorate of Emancipation of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to contribute to this programme in the project “Engaging men as part of the solution” by involving boys and men in preventing violence.
Where do you make the change?
Are you interested in a workshop, training, or other collaboration? Contact us at info@emancipator.nl
Weekend
Every year in October, we organize a weekend for people who want to make men and masculinities part of the solution, check the calendar.
White Ribbon
We have been working for years to involve men and masculinities in preventing gender-based violence, including with the international White Ribbon Campaign. Since 2016, Emancipator has been organizing that campaign in the Netherlands. Read more about White Ribbon.
Emancipator
Emancipator works to change societal norms for men and masculinities. Because in order to achieve gender equality, men must also change.
We are promoting gender justice by engaging men and boys and challenging patriarchal masculinities. We work to prevent violent masculinities and promote caring masculinities, as a contribution to women’s and lgbtqia+ struggles for equality, and the liberation of men from traditional ideas about masculinity.
