Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equity
Mardon Wali Baat
Since its inception in 2009, CEQUIN has been a pioneer in engaging men and boys to become agents of change and allies for gender equity. Recognizing early on that men are part of the solution rather than the problem, this initiative seeks to create a cadre of sensitised boys and men who challenge harmful gender stereotypes, advocate for equal rights and lead impactful campaigns, becoming role models for other young men in their community.
Engaging with men and boys, specifically adolescent boys, is especially relevant in India, where caste, class and linguistic ethnicity have tremendous influence on how men construct their sense of masculinity and define what is meant by a ‘mard’ or a real man, and what is expected of him. These stereotypes very often cage boys, desensitising them, and restricting their ability to adapt, create and innovate. Gender sensitisation in fact empowers boys to break the shackles of stereotypes, and find their true potential.
The initiative started in 2009 through popular media campaigns like ‘Respect Women Respect Delhi’ with the cricketer Virendar Sehwag and ‘Mardon Wali Baat’ with the Delhi Daredevils cricket team, which shifted the narrative on gender equity , where men influenced other men and boys, and raised awareness on gender based violence through conversations on positive masculinity.
With media ad films and the publication of CEQUIN’s survey report (Perception & Experiences of Gendered Violence in Public Spaces of Delhi- Baseline, 2009), the campaign grabbed media attention, and the issue of gender based violence in public spaces became an issue of national concern, with the Home Minister responding to a question on women’s safety, quoting the CEQUIN study in Parliament.
In 2010, we launched the film, ‘Seema aur Salim ki Diary’ (inaugurated by the Lt Smt Sheila Dikshit), an interactive AV gender training tool for schools and UN partners, featuring clips of agents of change workshops and discussions carried out by CEQUIN in 2009, with girls and boys from schools across Delhi. Our 2010 conference on ‘Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Public Spaces’ with National Commision for Women & UNDP, was path breaking as it was the first time that GBV was being looked upon and understood in a holistic manner encapsulating factors such as the role played by masculinity.
CEQUIN was one of the few Gender Resource Centres selected by Delhi Government to pilot the ‘Awaaz Uthao’ initiative in 2012. From 2012-2016, we consolidated our work at the ground level and actively organised men and boy’s collectives as changemakers, sensitising them through workshops, gender and safety audits. Under CEQUIN’s project with the National Mission for Empowerment of Women and The Government of Haryana (2013-15), we conducted a series of Agents of Change workshops with school boys from Mewat. The focus here was to gender sensitise boys, teach them what it means to be an empathetic leader, and encourage them to translate this practice into their own homes and communities. In 2015, we held the WOWMen Awards, to celebrate men who’ve made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of women, in many different ways, whether as a father, husband, activist or film maker. The awardees included – Ziauddin Yousafzai, Onler Kom, Rahul Bose, Vikas Bahl, Subhash Mendhapurkar, Franz Grastler and Rishi Kant. By 2014 the Mardon Wali Baat campaign developed into an established community based programme running in communities and educational institutes across Delhi and Haryana – engaging men and boys through gender sensitisation and leadership workshops, public service messaging, partnering with with media to engage the public on issues like equal work, gender based violence, bystander intervention and positive masculinity. Over the years, over 10 lakh boys have undergone our programmes across Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Rajasthan.
These young boys and men undergo a leadership journey, where they re-examine their understanding of gender and masculinity, identify harmful gender practices that they want to address in their family and community at large. They are then capacitated and trained in advocacy tools to design and lead impactful campaigns, joining leadership clubs to become ‘Agents of Change’. These community role models advocate for positive masculinity and become ‘partners in change’ in their community to address gender based violence.
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Key Features:
A blend of life skills curriculum, popular media and social action projects
Mardon Wali Baat Module – On Ground and in-classroom life skills curriculum covering community and school-based engagement throughout the year, with a focus on gender, masculinities and leadership
Exposure and Capacity building – Equipped with tools to lead local audits on gender and safety, design community campaigns, engage local stakeholders on critical issues
Agents of Change – These boys join leadership clubs as Agents to Change to identify discriminatory practises and examples of gender based violence in their community and design solutions to address the same through public campaigns, audits, public rallies, meetings, dialogues, showcases and youth summits
Leadership Development – Participation in public forums, rallies, youth summits, campaigns, capacity building trainings and advocacy opportunities to advocate for equal opportunities for boys and girls in their community
Lifecycle Approach – Expansion of boys participating through ‘virtuous cycle’ and role modeling, where many become Agents of Change and Peer educators mentoring the next batch of participants, open to all age groups between 8 – 21 years, with different levels of engagement.
Advocacy for Positive Masculinities through Public Campaigns– Partnering with key stakeholders, organisations, media to amplify the impact of patriarchy on masculinities and the essential role of men and boys for gender equality
Highlights
Publication – “ Masculinity & Its Role in Gender Based Violence in Public Spaces” by Sanjay Srivastava, as a part of the “ Perception & Experiences of Gendered Violence in Public Spaces of Delhi- Baseline Report ”, by CEQUIN and Centre for Media Studies, 2009
Press Conference on Make Delhi Safe for Women Campaign with Indian Cricketer – Virender Sehwag, 2009
Make Delhi Safe for Women Hoardings across Delhi NCR , 2009-10
Awaaz Uthao Campaigns to raise awareness against gender based violence, as a part of the Gender Resource Centre, started by CEQUIN in 2009. Various groups of men and boys became a part of the stakeholders / citizens watch group and led on ground campaigns to call out gender based violence, 2010 – 2013
Mardon Wali Baat Campaign with cricketer Virendar Sehwag, Delhi Daredevils and CEQUIN Agents of Change , 2010-14
Public messaging and open workshops on the Mardon Wali Baat Campaign across the city , 2012-14
WOWMen Awards , 2015
Flashmob ‘Break the Chain’ led by CEQUIN’s Agents of Change and Football Girls as a part of One Billion Rising at Select City Walk, 2015
Community Audit on Safety and Gender Perceptions led by Agents of Change in Jamia Nagar, 2016
Mardon Wali Baat reaches Mewat Haryana, 2017 onwards
MWB supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies in Rajasthan, Alwar working with older boys and young men, 2018-2020
Mardon Wali Baat Impact Assessment Report , 2019-2021
Youth Summits over the years
Road shows and rallies in Seemapuri, part of Model City Delhi led by Agents of Change and Football girls in Seemapuri, Delhi, 2022
Mardon Wali Instagram Live, 2023
Moin Khan, Agents of Change and Alumni from Rajasthan speaks at the ‘Bridging the Gender Gap’ Symposium at New Delhi , on 5th February 2024
Mardon Wali Baat - Engaging Men & Boys on Masculinities A 3 year Cycle
Level 1
Foundation
The Foundational intervention, curriculum of masculinity and leadership, with a public showcase
Level 2
Agents of Change
With a selected group from above, forming leadership clubs, conducting audits on safety & gender perceptions, designing and leading community campaigns, rallies, youth summits and other public events on issues like education, early and forced child marriage, school to work transition, gender based violence etc.
Level 3
Mentors & Peer Educators
Taking action and advocating for change by sharing the findings with stakeholders and the community at large. Actively questioning cultural practices and engaging with the community to break patriarchal stereotypes. These AOCs will be enrolled in the group as Peer Educators, mentors and Alumnis.
