At highly interactive forum…
A ONE day symposium, under the theme ‘Community Conversation on Males and Gender Violence in Guyana’, was conducted yesterday at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Scheduled to be followed by a half day technical visioning and planning meeting, it constituted the start of a gender forum that focuses on Guyanese males.

The former was a joint initiative of the Government of Guyana, under the aegis of  the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, UNAIDS and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with participants drawn from non-governmental, faith based, men’s and other civil society organisations.

The objectives of yesterday’s programme were:
** to understand the importance of including males in the blueprint for preventing gender violence;
** to comprehend the root causes of gender violence in Guyana and
** to identify what work is being done, locally, with and for males on gender, health and social welfare.

The highly interactive deliberations presented the opportunity for productive dialogue, concerning how best to address male related factors that threaten the health and social welfare of men and others, because it was felt that such do not take place often enough.

Those taking part examined assumptions people make about gender violence, globally and locally, not approaching the subject matter on a primitive basis.

Essentially, they showcased Guyana’s current competence in engaging males in what the organisers called a critical conversation about improving the health and well-being of men and boys, to foster further dialogue about the remaining opportunities to continue expanding the work being embarked upon in Guyana and to put forward recommendations for the future on improving the way that masculinities are experienced, viewed or expressed in this country.

The keynote opening address at the morning session was delivered by UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Ruben del Prado who asked the question: “Why?”

He looked, critically and analytically, at the role and responsibilities of women, not only in the family setting but in the bigger picture as it relates to various cultures and sub-cultures of which they are part.
Dr. del Prado explained the origin of certain stereotypical labels which, ultimately, give rise to negative perceptions of women and define women’s roles without prejudice.

Public relations consultant, Mr. Alex Graham spoke on ‘Engaging Boys and Men in Health and Development.’

UNAIDS supports the engagement of men in the global movement to improve their own health and well-being in their communities, noting that it has the potential for positive impacts that go far beyond the realm of health.

Against this background, UNAIDS Secretariat in Guyana, in collaboration with Government Ministries and civil society, is currently participating in ‘The 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence.’

That campaign, undertaken annually, began last November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’ and culminates in the observance of International Human Rights Day on December 10.