Gender-based violence (GBV) is widely seen as a key obstacle for attaining a wide range of development goals, from the elimination of poverty to the fulfilment of human rights. It has received growing attention since the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, and violence against women was one of the key areas of concern at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and at the Beijing+5 follow-up UN conference in New York in June 2000. Eliminating violence against women (EVAW) is a crucial element for attaining the universal aspirations of equality, development and peace. A key aspect of EVAW is the active involvement of men. This was the central element in the 2001 campaign "Men on EVAW' of Population Services Pilipinas Incorporated (PSPI) in the Philippines.

Each year, the world commemorates the quest for EVAW through a period of intense activism, starting on 25 November and culminating on International Human Rights Day, 10 December. In the Philippines, as elsewhere, women's groups have traditionally led most EVAW campaigns. At the grassroots level, however, a growing number of innovative projects and initiatives focus on the roles and responsibilities of men in EVAW, in addition to efforts to empower women.

Strengthening male involvement in EVAW

Gender hierarchies and inequalities both reflect and perpetuate GBV. Inspired by international "White Ribbon" campaigns and by our own work to involve men in sexual and reproductive health, PSPI's 2001-campaign, "Men on EVAW", aimed to involve strategic segments of the adult male population in the prevention and elimination of violence against women, through awareness-raising and other local activities.

Although Manila – with its greater awareness on EVAW and the presence of many women's groups – would have been the easiest choice, PSPI decided to hold the campaign in Metropolitan Cebu. This area consists of three separate cities – Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay – forming the second largest urban area in the country. The campaign specifically aimed to involve elected male village leaders (the so-called barangay chairmen) and male members of the police force in EVAW.

Barangay chairmen and their local teams, the first level of local government, are responsible for maintaining peace and order. Domestic problems, including family violence, are brought before village committees headed by the barangay chairmen for dispute settlement or arbitration. Involving policemen was considered crucial, as they directly deal with issues such as rape and personal injuries, while other cases of violence may be referred to them by the barangays. While both groups of men are responsible for controlling community violence, it was recognised that some of them may also be part of the problem, as perpetrators of violent actions, as individual men, or in the process of exercising their powers.

In early November 2001, PSPI conducted a rapid situation assessment of VAW in Cebu among a number of barangay chairmen and policemen. This revealed that barangay chairmen did not know that they could spend 5% of their annual budgets on gender and development activities; none of them had attended any educational activity on gender, much less VAW. In the other group, as a matter of procedure, cases involving women are assigned to female police officers, thus denying male officers the opportunity to understand the context of these cases.
This set the stage for PSPI's two-week EVAW campaign. To ensure a maximum number of participants, invitations were sent through the cities' mayors and chiefs of police. Most participants were selected because of their position as peer leaders. Eventually, 42 barangay chairmen and 40 policemen participated.

Prioritising sensitisation activities

Separate workshops were held for barangay chairmen and police officers, tailored to their specific professional fields. For both groups, two one-day workshops addressed gender and equity, and EVAW. A one-week interval between the two workshops allowed for reflection and deeper understanding of the issues.

The first workshop focused on understanding gender, gender biases and prejudices, and their linkages to violence against women. The workshop helped participants understand the social and public health aspects of VAW and yielded an analysis of community responses regarding EVAW.

The second workshop dealt with men's role in EVAW and resulted in detailed action plans, which included the following elements:

• Follow-up activities on previous cases of VAW in barangays, aimed at convincing husbands of women's rights
• Formation of a monitoring group on EVAW among barangays
• Information sharing on EVAW among men in barangays with the assistance of local experts
• Educating young men on gender and men's role in EVAW
• Advocacy and lobbying in support of policy and legislative initiatives on domestic violence
• Support for VAW survivors
• Identification of role models to promote EVAW in barangays
• Promoting respect for women in general

Both workshops showed the importance of raising men's awareness on EVAW in order to mobilise them for action. Although existing data clearly pointed out men as principal perpetrators of violence, this did not result in rejection by the participants. Hence, sensitising men on key aspects of VAW is an important element for its elimination.

In addition to the workshops, the campaign included other communication strategies aimed at raising awareness on EVAW and the special role of men, such as a 30-second radio spot, using a soap opera format in the local dialect, which was aired 40 times daily, for 16 days, on four local radio stations. Also, 1000 copies of a poster in the local dialect, featuring barangay chairmen and policemen, bearing the message "Stop Violence Against Women", were posted in all barangay meeting halls and police stations in metropolitan Cebu.

Continuing the fight for EVAW

The choice of Cebu for the EVAW campaign turned out to be an excellent decision, as the total lack of awareness – even among women – had so far been a fertile ground for violence against women. Focusing on local male leaders proved to be strategic for future actions on EVAW because of their role as gatekeepers and wielders of institutional power. For PSPI, the challenge now is to move beyond the campaign as a first step. In the short run, PSPI will monitor the action plans and participants' commitments. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for March 2002 where participants reported on progress made and planned for additional activities to eliminate violence against women.