ILOILO City – The task may seem daunting but eliminating violence against women (VAW) is not impossible, according to Dr. Mary Barbie Badayos-Jover, director of the University of the Philippines Visayas’ Gender and Development (UPV GAD) program.
One strategy to achieve this is to enlist men in the campaign, Badayos-Jover said at the recent public forum “Men’s Involvement in the Campaign to Eliminate VAW: MOVE Aklan’s Experience” at UPV here.
MOVE Aklan or the Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere is a male-led VAW campaign in Aklan. Its advocacy for the past 11 years has been recognized nationally.
Men have been stereotyped as VAW perpetrators, according to Badayos-Jover, but she stressed there are more men who are against such practice.
Thus, she stressed, it is only logical to enlist men in the campaign.
“This campaign is a partnership, indi lang ‘ni kampanya sang women,” said Badayos-Jover, also a consultant of Ugsad Regional Gender Resource Center, a coordinating body of efforts and resources providing gender-responsive services in national government agencies, non-government organizations, local government units, academic institutions, and other entities.
For many years, according to Badayos-Jover, the VAW campaign focused on information dissemination.
“Any gender advocacy indi mangin kompleto kun ang mga kalalakinhan indi open sa pagduso sa sina nga kampanya. Men have always been involved in gender advocacy. Now we are recognizing the fact nga may mga successful organized men nga parehas sa aton sa pag-campaign to end VAW,” she said./PN
