menABLE “Empower Manpower against gender-based violence online”.

ended

Violence against women and girls – whether physical or online – is a serious human rights violation. A recent statement published by the European Commission on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2022 underlines that one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. One in two have experienced sexual harassment and one in 20 women report having been raped. Gender-based violence can include sexual, physical, mental and economic harm inflicted in public or in private. Research has found that gender-based violence is closely linked to power imbalances between women and men and harmful expressions of masculinities (UN Women, 2016). In this regard it is important to look at the roots of gender stereotyping and to understand and raise awareness about the factors influencing such stereotypes which range from cultural traditions, family or domestic practices to broader societal and environmental factors such as the sexual objectification of women and girls in media or advertising. All these aspects contribute to harmful gender stereotypes and to normalising gender-based and sexual violence. Other factors that have contributed to amplifying gender-based violence against women are information and communication technologies (ICTs). Indeed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that one in ten women have experienced some form of cyber violence since the age of 15. In response to the CERV-2022-DAPHNE call, we have chosen the acronym menABLE which stands for “Empower Manpower against gender-based violence online”. The menABLE project will help to tackle online gender-based violence by means of prevention strategies primarily, but not exclusively, targeting boys and young men. As in our view, achieving this target will only be possible when men and boys become part of the solution. Therefore, the project will focus on Priority 3 aimed at preventing gender-based violence by tackling its root causes.