Jakarta meeting moves new regional research on men and boys forward

What do masculinities have to do with gender-based violence? This is the question that brought together representatives from civil society, academic, research institutes and UN agencies from across the Asia-Pacific region last week to launch Partners for Prevention’s ground-breaking Gender-based Violence and Masculinities Research Project. The three-year project will enhance our understanding of the underlying causes of gender-based violence, build local and regional knowledge on how to engage men and boys to prevent violence, and lay a foundation to inspire future research on a global scale. “We’ve come together to jump-start a body of research that will leave a legacy for gender justice in the region,” says P4P project coordinator James Lang. “This collective endeavor is building alliances between researchers, civil society, government and UN partners to catalyze innovation and guide our understanding gender-based violence prevention to new levels.” The program’s “deep-and-wide” approach targets both (deep) engagement within participating countries, as well as (wide) engagement across the Asia region to enhance the national, regional and global value of the research. Over the four-day conference, participants explored the project’s quantitative, qualitative and policy phases, refining and honing the tools and methodologies of the research program. Country teams met with technical advisors to identify opportunities to enhance the local value of the research, while maintaining the benefits of a comprehensive multi-country analysis. “This kind of research has never been done,” says masculinity expert and member of the project’s technical advisory group, Raewyn Connell. “It is part of a new wave of work that will produce valuable, cutting-edge material, and open opportunities for new information and new ways of thinking.” For a brief overview of the Partners for Prevention"Gender-based Violence and Masculinities Project: Building Evidence-based Responses for Prevention in the Asia-Pacific Region," please see: http://partners4prevention.org/sites/default/files/documents/p4p_gbv_masc_research_project_leaflet.pdf