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We don’t have to be tough all the time

UNIFEM East and Southeast Asia organizes progressive trainings for male student leaders on gender and sexuality to address demand for trafficked persons in Thailand.

Bangkok 10 May 2009 Twenty-six eager young men arrived at a quiet resort in Nonthaburi early Saturday morning May 9 for what was going to become a memorable weekend. The university students were hand-picked to attend a two-day training workshop on gender sensitivity for young men organized by UNIFEM and facilitated by CATW-AP (the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific). The workshop training was the first of its kind in Thailand, shifting the focus from the supply side of the trafficking process to the issue of demand and its implications on trafficking and exploitation, educating young male leaders to spread awareness and create change.

Coming from different universities and diverse backgrounds, what the participants all had in common, apart from their interest in human rights and community awareness, was an open mind and a sincerity of purpose. After the first session it was hard to believe that this was a group who had never come together before, as the students quickly made friends and engaged in heated debates, enjoyed interactive sessions, and made commitments to help end violence against women by beginning with themselves.

The workshop took place over two full days of intensive training. The first day focused on differentiating between sex and gender, gender stereotypes, economic marginalization, political subordination and violence against women. The next day concentrated on trafficking and prostitution. According to the participants the most impactful part of the training was the speech of survivor Marevic Fontanilla. Her story created a window into the real world of trafficking, and gave the students a horrific glimpse into the issues they were learning about, but most importantly, it helped to reinforce their resolve to take a stand against violence against women. The day ended with a reconstruction of the concept of masculinity and a ritual that bonded the participants together as ‘new men.’

The trainers, executive director of CATW-AP Jean Enriquez and her colleague Reden Recio have extensive experience in facilitating similar trainings in the Philippines which have resulted in numerous echo-sessions by the former participants themselves. This is exactly what UNIFEM hopes to achieve in Thailand. The multiplier effect will be ensured by a planned set of trainings of trainers in August for participants who want to take their commitment further.

Such committed students are not hard to find since all participants were eager to pass on what they had learned to peers, family and other networks. After completing the last day’s sessions, one of the participants stated that he will never forget the training, and other participants said that the trainers had given them important insight into the reality of many women which they hitherto never really had understood. Some participants also admitted that they felt more insightful also about their own role as men, stating that “We don’t have to be tough all the time”. As student facilitator Lester Onuevo explained, the training offers young men a safe space to discuss their own masculinity among their peers, to be open and honest about issues they may not feel free to discuss elsewhere.

At the end of the training the participants came up with an action plan to create further awareness of gender issues in their own communities, and started networking among themselves to incorporate their newly acquired knowledge into their respective communities and activities. Since then, they have formed a FaceBook group and are actively sharing photos and videos and continuing to build on the relationships created in the training process.

The trainings were part of UNIFEM’s project “Preventing Trafficking in Women in Thailand by Addressing the Normative Dimensions of Demand”, supported by Zonta International. This project aims at building awareness about violence against women and promoting gender sensitivity to challenge prevailing stereotypes and transform young minds in the hope of ending gender based violence and trafficking in women. Further to the gender sensitivity trainings, UNIFEM will organize Training of Trainer workshops and build networks of youth who are engaged in ending violence against women.