Engaging men in a gender transformative approach is a key part of changing gender relations and reducing violence against women and girls.  Gender transformative approaches aim to challenge gender inequality by:

Redressing gender inequalities, removing structural barriers, such as, unequal roles and rights.

Identifying those harmful gender norms, with focused on unequal gender power that favors men more.

Here are some approaches, which we can engage men in gender transformative approaches (GTA). On a situational perspective, this presentation is focused on males he4she as role models in the campaign for gender equality. This is a better approach for psychological or mental neutrality.

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1) Using my organization, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) as an example, my CEO, High Chief (Dr) George- Hill, is a he4she that has used his influence to greatly empower women.

From my CEO’s story, he drew strength from the fact, as a fiscal governance expert of over 20 years, he came across sensitive governmental and bureaucratic materials that systematically sidelined and oppresses women in all facets of our society, hence, deciding to be a he4she towards emancipation of women. 

His inputs on advocacy approaches, especially, how women approaches men through communal sensitivities that massages communal and social sentiments, led to appointment of women as chiefs in some places, with evidential indicators of achieving this in our institutional archives. 

As a demonstration that anthropological spirits are not blind, God added additional strength to our CEO, who has been coronated among kings at different places, some, with Palace responsibilities. All such coronations are at places he wasn’t born, with the most recent, being on the 16th of November 2024, when he was coronated as Eze Omehia Oha 1 of Rumuokwuta Clan in Rivers State. Before that of November 2024, he earlier been coronated some years back as Eze Nwene Zi Numba 1 of Rumuobiokani Town, Eze Oganuruwhu 1 of Evo Kingdom, including, a statewide Traditional Title of Utuenikan Iwaad, among others.

He tells us in the organization and those that cares to listen that he will use God’s given royal honours accorded him through (NGO) development’s work to campaign for eradication of gender factors against women. An example, like influencing 13 First Class Majesties (Traditional Rulers) to attend NDEBUMOG’s gender equity roundtable and a colloquium that was put together to champion women economic inclusion, with ordinary women having the opportunity to sit with traditional rulers to discussed women issues and things they never thought kings could take frankly in public but they did. This is something that could be considered a cultural taboo and barrier in some places, which an influence from a he4she (my CEO) is breaking such barriers that is worth emulating and mentioning. It is on record that at the events mentioned above that took place on the 28th and 30th August, 2024, some traditional rulers and kings promised to go back to their kingdoms and clans to retool their approaches to accommodate gender equity in communal developmental opportunities. 

2) In addition, working with men as fathers through mutual understanding for their participation in caregiving and parenting can be a positive entry point for establishing gender equality in our homes.

3) Catching them young by training boys not to see their female siblings as lesser humans are factors too that could help a better world, which could be done through role modeling by fathers that could influence their boys to be equitably fair to female siblings, which does not alter biblical concept of religion and humanity. Rather, it reinforces the fairness of God, our creator, on humanity.

Thank you for your time, my audience!