Activities-Men Standing to end violence against women in Lebanon
National Workshop on “Approaches and Strategies of Working with Men to Promote Gender Equality in Lebanon” (March 2009) :
The objective of the workshop was to feed into the learning of women’s organizations in working with men and boys for ending violence against women. Twenty-three field professionals from local organizations attended as well as in addition to representatives from the Beirut Bar Association, Norwegian Population Aid, UNESCO, and the Ministry of Social Affairs. The case-studies presented by the participating organizations were used as training materials for the Training of Trainers manual.
National Testing Workshop (November 2009) :
was organized to test the exercises and concepts included within the manual: “Hand in Hand: Approaches and Strategies for Engaging Men and Boys in Ending Violence against Women”. Attending were local Lebanese NGO personnel from which suggestions and feedback were taken upon completion of the individual exercises, as well as at the completion of the entire three day workshop. Logistics such as timeframe and materials needed were also tested for efficacy. Changes to the manual, based on feedback and “learnings” from the 3 day validation workshop, were made to ensure the sensitivity and applicability of our manual for our desired audience and their specific needs.
Regional Workshop on “Promoting Strategies and Approaches of Working with Men and Boys to End Violence against Women" (December 2009) :
The pioneer regional Training of Trainers workshop united participants from 30 organizations in Lebanon and the region. The five-day workshop equipped the participants with skills and knowledge to endorse different approaches to address violence against women in their countries. Sessions covered the issue of VAW while highlighting the importance of engaging M&B, as well as strategies and approaches to do so. It also allowed the establishment of a rich network for regional alliances and collaborations.
Launching event (April 2010) :
The new and groundbreaking publications in the field of Women’s Human Rights, “Women Facing Violence in Lebanon” study and the first ever, pan-Arab Training of Trainers (TOT) Manual for Engaging Men in Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), “Women & Men… Hand in Hand against Violence” were launched under the auspices and the presence of His Excellency, the Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs, Dr. Salim El-Sayegh. Approximately 300 individuals from UN Agencies, international relief organizations, national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), members of the general public and media were on hand for this momentous occasion.
KAFA in UNIFEM Press Conference- New York :
On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, KAFA has called on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to allocate more resources for the campaign to end abuse of women the world over, and to invest more into bringing men into the process.
On the 24th of November, Ms. Ghida A. Anani, UN Trust Fund Grantee and Program Coordinator for KAFA participated in a press conference, on behalf of the grantees of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, along with the UN Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and Police of Norway, and HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador.
In her speech, Anani underlined the critical importance in the Middle East of working with men and boys to bring about real and lasting change, spearheading a pioneer awareness raising project that targets men and boys in the region.
The appeal raised by KAFA also came as the Secretary-General launched on that day a ‘Network of Men’s Leaders’, who will work to inspire men everywhere to help stop violence against women
