TAMING THE TIDE OF GENDER -BASED VIOLENCE AND HIV

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TAMING THE TIDE OF GENDER -BASED VIOLENCE AND
HIV AIDS THE TAMAR APPROACH

• Christopher Oyoo Yaye
• Tangaza Mens Initiative on Gender - Based
  Violence and HIVAIDS

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Introduction

• HIVAIDS is a global pandemic, which has evoked
  responses from many quarters Governments, NGOs,
  the Church etc., since it is the greatest
  challenge to socio-economic and global security.
  
• In many cases the pandemic has been as a result
  of violence directed towards women and girls by
  men

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Introduction Cont

• Most NGOs that deal with HIVAIDS in the areas
  of advocacy, awareness and mitigation are
  directed towards women with little or no
  attention paid to men
• There is need to join hands in the global effort
  to provide care and support in order to reduce
  vulnerability of HIV and to alleviate its impact
  from the male perspective

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Introduction cont

• Tangaza Mens Initiative on Gender-based
  Violence and HIVAIDS was started two years ago
  to tame the tide of violence against women and
  HIVAIDS
• We do this through a methodology (TAMAR) that
  deviates from rigid and radical and rigid
  separation of men and women boys and girls etc.,
  occasioned by the way we understand Sex and
  Gender

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What is Gender? What is Sex?

• What CAN a man do that a woman CANNOT do?
• What CAN a woman do that a man CANNOT do?
• At the Centre of these distinctions lies the very
  concept of VIOLENCE against Women

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Gender and Sex

• Sex
• Natural
• Biological construct
• Common to humanity
• Based on facts
• Static time/situations

• Gender
• Human designed
• Social construct
• Culture specific
• Perceptions
• Dynamic

Yaye, Technologies and Health A Faith Based
Perspective, CCIH - USA
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Definition of Gender

• Attributes of male and female labels to social
  roles and attributes AS IF they arise from sexual
  differences, although these attributes are
  acquired by a process of socialization
• Women and Mens roles and responsibilities that
  are socially determined.
• Gender is related to how we are perceived and
  expected to think and act as women and men
  because of the way society is organized not
  because of our biological differences.
• Gender is about masculinity and femininity

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What is GENDER VIOLENCE?

• Gender Violence refers to unbiased response to
  human needs based on gender
• Any negative perception and /or attitude that
  undermines the dignity and identity of one sex
  over another it is a discrimination!
• It is to keep the discriminated and exploited in
  fear and, therefore, unable to claim their rights
  as human persons

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Gender Analysis Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue

• Contributory Factors
• 1. Culture Birth boy child is more preferred
  to the girl-child
• Among the Shona of Zimbabwe when a young woman
  gives birth to a girl- child, women ululate 3
  times. If a boy, the ululation is 5 times a
  husband whose wife has given birth to a girl is
  regarded as WEAK
• Among the Luo of Kenya a boy is regarded as
  SIRO (PILLAR), a woman who has given birth to a
  boy has completed the process of marriage TRULY
  and FULLY married

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Gender Analysis Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue

• 2. Patriarchy- men have the power and authority
• 3. Patrilineality- when lineage is traced through
  the male/ fathers line even as the society
  socializes women to be safe in the presence of
  men, it is the men who pose a lot of danger to
  the women women MOSTLY try to play into the
  needs of men to avoid controversy and to keep
  safe within community structures
• 4. Concubinage and extra- marital affairs
• 5. Backyard circumcision as real circumcision

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Gender Analysis Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue

• 6. Socialization - In most African countries, man
  is presented as an accomplished sexual performer
  and a woman is to serve his interests this is
  what makes men to behave as if the world is in
  deficiency of men.
• - The challenge of gender-based violence is
  further compounded by boy preference manifested
  even business titling and naming e.g. OMOLLO
  SONS enterprises etc There is a lot of pressure
  on the boy child to succeed.

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Gender Analysis Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue

• 8. Ecclesiastical hierarchy- even in churches
  where women are allowed to preach- after they do
  so, men/ a man is called upon to clarify the
  issues (raised by the woman)

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EFFECTS OF G.B.V.

• The effects of Gender-based violence are obvious
• Sexual Assaults, Rape etc.
• Increased Vulnerability of women to STDs and
  HIVAIDS
• Denial of leadership roles and
• Low self-esteem among women etc,

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Way Forward THE TAMAR APPROACH

• The Tamar is a campaign that was launched in
  Kenya in 2005 under the sponsorship of The
  Fellowship of Christian Councils of Churches in
  the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa FECCLAHA
• TAMAR focuses on domestic and sexual violence to
  challenge church and religious institutions to
  address the crisis of GBV

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Tamar Approach

• The Tamar is thus a Contextual 5 - step Bible
  Study
• Choosing the Theme the reality of the community
• Finding a Biblical Text reading familiar text
  in unfamiliar way
• Questioning and reading community consciousness
  questions drawing from the lived experiences of
  the community

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Tamar Approach

• 4. Articulating and Owning the theological
  understandings of the text
• 5. Developing a plan of Action Tamar is not
  only about interpreting the Bible BUT ALLOWING
  the Bible to equip us to change our world and
  mentalities for mutuality in existence.

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Tangaza and TAMAR

• Facilitate training workshops in colleges and
  Universities
• Discussion days for students and staff on
  HIVAIDS.
• Make Stickers and write articles to inform people
  on what is going on Tangaza Update
• Institute assemblies incorporate brief talk on
  HIVAIDS during the institute assembly.

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Tangaza and TAMAR

• Perform drama and produce Videos on Gender-Based
  Violence and HIVAIDS
• Establish community outreach programs to support
  the infected and affected

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Implications for Today

• Those who benefit from oppression of women will
  never fight it BUT who is benefitting from
  current scenario? We need to be deeply critical
  of situations of Violence
• Need to create awareness of gender
  discrimination, gender inequality and gender
  violence from a male perspective
• Put structures in place to address this but
  incorporate women