Partners for Prevention

Partners for Prevention: Working with Boys and Men to Prevent Gender-based Violence

Partners for Prevention is a regional joint programme of UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and UNV for Asia and the Pacific. 

The programme is aimed at primary prevention - stopping violence before it starts – especially among boys and men. It facilitates cross border exchange and learning across the region, and prioritizes change at the institutional and policy levels.  Policy makers, UN staff and civil society practitioners, all committed to gender equality and the elimination of violence against women, have come together to implement the programme.

Primary Prevention Involving Boys and Men
Most responses to gender-based violence focus on women’s rights and empowerment, legal reform, protection and service provision.  Whilst these interventions continue to be key priorities, Partners for Prevention complements these efforts by addressing root causes of GBV through primary prevention with boys and men.  Primary prevention strives to create societies where gender-based violence is unacceptable to all.  To achieve this goal, prevailing social norms, attitudes and behaviours – and how they perpetuate violence - must be examined. 

Partners for Prevention focuses on involving boys and men in prevention because gender-based violence is rooted in power relations among women, men, girls and boys. Men are overwhelmingly involved in all types of violence.  They are the primary perpetrators of violence, and often experience violence themselves. As gender-based violence is often linked to dominant notions of masculinity, the key to prevention lies in involving boys and men in ways that are sensitive to these notions and their experiences.

Often, boys and men are left out of violence prevention efforts.  Yet, there is evidence that projects engaging boys and men in a sustained and gender sensitive manner can result in changing attitudes and behaviours.  Thus, Partners for Prevention will build on the growing set of promising projects with boys and men to enhance GBV prevention overall.

For more details, visit the Partners for Prevention website:
http://www.partners4prevention.org/