During a UN-sponsored seminar on sexual violence against men and boys in conflict Luis Mora of UNFPA discussed some of the programming gaps in treating male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.

1. Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict:
Engaging Men and Boys
Male-Directed Sexual Violence:
Increasing Understanding for a Better Response
(New York, 25-26 July 2013)

2. The ICPD Programme of Action (1994) has
promoted a history of engaging men and boys:
• In support of women’s rights, including their
right to health services
• To prevent GBV and HIV
• As partners in sexual and reproductive health
• As change agents, especially young men and
boys
• As clients of SRH services and information
Why Engage Men and Boys?

3. • Intimate partners, fathers, other male family
members
• Young men and adolescent boys
• Policymakers and other decision makers
• Religious and traditional leaders
• Uniformed service members, including police
and military personnel
Which Men and Boys?

4. • Deeply ingrained gender and social norms, and
ideas about manhood (including male sexuality)
prevent men from taking responsibility and
becoming more involved in their own and their
partners’ reproductive health.
• Addressing harmful norms, values and behaviors
necessitate thinking of gender as relational and
interconnected.
• Men have different but important needs for SRH
care and suffer directly and indirectly from GBV.
Guiding Principles and What We Know

5. • Research on male sexuality and reproduction.
• Data collection and analysis through DHS, etc.
• Mobilizing male activists to end violence against women
in Kenya, Uganda, and India.
• Developing intervention models to address men and
boys in SRH, HIV and GBV prevention.
• Working with youth and adolescent males on healthy
versions of manhood and masculinity including as a
contribution to ending violence in numerous countries
• Engaging uniformed services on SRH issues, HIV and GBV
prevention in 25 countries
Examples of Work on Engaging Men and Boy

6. • Sexual and reproductive health and rights and
GBV still seen as a “woman’s issue”
• Fear and perception among some that scarce
resources will detract focus and funding from
women and girls’ programming
• Initiatives are not sustainable and lack
institutionalization
• “Dichotomization” of the issue: women vs.
men, including overt or inadvertent
“hierarchization” of the problem
Challenges

7. UNFPA & MenEngage – Sexual Violence in Conflict
and Post-Conflict: Engaging Men and Boys
•The context of sexual violence in conflict, and in
both war and peace.
•The varied roles of men and boys as perpetrators,
survivors, witnesses, peacekeepers, police and
soldiers, service providers and change makers.
•Outlines a range of policy and programmatic
proposals focused on engaging men.

8. Some estimates concerning conflict- related
sexual violence:
•Globally, sexual violence against women, men,
adolescents and children has been reported in 51
countries that have experienced conflict within
the last 25 years
•This gives a sense of how common it is a
component or consequence of conflict (Bastick,
Grimm, & and Kunz, 2006).

9. Some estimates concerning conflict- related
sexual violence:
•One of the most rigorous studies of sexual violence in
the eastern DRC shows the magnitude of this violence
against both males and females.
•This careful study suggests that in an area with 5
million people, 1.3 million women and 0.76 million men
are survivors of sexual violence, although this includes
pre-, during- and post-conflict data (Johnson et al.,
2010, p. 561).

10. Varied roles that men and boys can play
Men as perpetrators
•Sexual violence can be consciously used by political
and military commanders with diverse objectives
•Sexual violence can also be opportunistic carried
out by individuals
•Perpetrators can even be peacekeepers, aid
workers, and other security and outside actors who
enter into conflict or post-conflict settings to help
those affected.

11. Varied roles that men and boys can play
Men as witnesses
•Sexual violence in the context of conflict is nearly
always carried out in the presence of others
•Little is known about the psychological impact on
men and boys of being made to watch sexual
violence against a loved one in the context of
conflict.

12. Varied roles that men and boys can play
Men as survivors/victims
•Within the last decade, sexual violence against men
and boys (rape, sexual torture, genital mutilation,
sexual humiliation, sexual enslavement, forcing a man
to commit incest or rape) has been reported in at
least 25 conflict settings
•Although the numbers are less than those
concerning sexual violence against women and girls,
sexual violence against men and boys is even more
underreported

13. Varied roles that men and boys can play
Men as agents of change
• Men should play a positive role in changing attitudes
towards female and male survivors of sexual violence
•Some men are in particularly advantageous positions to be
agents including soldiers, police and peacekeepers in terms
of helping rebuild society, protecting vulnerable citizens
•Aid workers, service providers and those in medical
professions play a direct role as agents of change in the
course of their daily work, and their social standing can also
give them a powerful voice in their communities

14. Programmatic Implications (I)
•Addressing the multidimensional issue of sexual
violence against any group in conflict and post-conflict
settings is complex and challenging.
•Exploring and addressing perceptions of manhood,
masculinity, male sexuality and effects on perpetration
of violence in fragile contexts is key for effective
programme interventions.
•Increase data on men’s experiences and use of GBV in
conflict, and explore existing/emerging sets of
programme responses to draw on.
•Focus on primary prevention among young people in
more stable, conflict-affected and fragile contexts.

15. Programmatic Implications (II)
•Effective prevention and response will require long-
term, comprehensive and coordinated efforts by
multiple stakeholders.
•Integrate SRH services for men within existing services
including via broader implementation of the MISP in
conflict-affected contexts.
•Scale up work with uniformed services, building on
long institutional history and experience and via
partnerships within UN Action network.
•Explore and seek opportunities for changing negative
gender norms in the context of the social upheaval of
conflict

16. Thank you
for your attention!