Keekli Reporter, 1st – 2nd November, 2014, Shimla
The YWCA Shimla resounded with the collective voices of men and women from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal in a two day symposium, ‘Men, Masculinity and Gender Justice: Men Engage’, which was held in collaboration with the global alliance, ‘Men Engage’, YWCA, NGO – ‘Jagori Rural’. MenEngage is an international network comprising of 400 NGOs from around the world, which supports the view that gender issues are not just women’s issues, but human issues, involving both men and women. The organisation works at engaging men and boys to reduce gender-based violence and to promote gender justice. Twenty years ago, this was the clarion call for action at Beijing during the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the process of mobilising both men and women has unfolded with a large participation of over 93 countries today.
The two-day symposium at Shimla was flagged off with the keynote speakers, Prof. Meenakshi Paul of H. P. University and Abha Bhaiya, Founder and Director of ‘Jagori Rural’ providing a historical overview of the feminist movement in India, and highlighting the imperative to engage both sexes- women and men in the struggle for gender justice. Bhaiya explained how constructions of gender, masculinity and femininity have been unjust to both men and women. The systemic violence that underlies the social fabric was highlighted, as she made a fervent appeal to move from a ‘rape’ culture to a ‘respect culture’. Prof. Paul illustrated how masculinity and femininity are constantly shifting concepts, and though they are pervasive in all cultures, they differ in form and content in various parts of the world.
The technical sessions focused on the construction of myths of femininity and masculinity in media and advertising. Presentations by speakers, Prof. Pankaj K. Singh, Prof. Iqbal Judge, Dr. Jyoti Seth illustrated the key themes of the seminar. Speaker Mr. Joshi provided data pertaining to son preference and domestic violence in Himachal. The session generated much interest and was moderated by Sarojini Ganju, retired IAS officer, currently working as Chairperson H.P. Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, and is also on the Advisory Board of Jagori Rural, Dharamsala.
The events of the day also included an interactive and informative session with Anand Pawar, Executive Director, SAMYAK, a Pune-based NGO. His presentation was on the framework of masculinity in India, which he critiqued from a feminist perspective. This session was chaired by CP Sujaya (retired IAS Officer).
The symposium brought together over a 150 practitioners, activists, academics, students, people from women’s organisations, human rights, media, and health groups.