MEETING: Males gather for women in gender & dev't forum

It was a gathering of men for women.

Some 35 men from the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere (MOVE) with other male representatives from other national government agencies and non-government organizations in Baguio recently convened for a forum dubbed, “Men's Forum: Mainstreaming gender and development in the family, workplace, and community.”

The activity was conducted by DSWD in partnership with its all-male organization MOVE as a culmination activity for the 18-day campaign to end violence against women and their children (VAWC).

MOVE chapter president Ferdinand Caramto said the activity is their way of supporting the VAWC advocacy. “We have organized to support the fight against violence and to encourage other men to rally behind the women,” added Caramto. He also said that men are perceived to be the top perpetrators of violence.

Rev. Rodolfo de Guia, a renowned resource speaker and a member of the Social Welfare and Development Learning Network was resource person during the event. His inputs include a wide-range of self-reflective lectures and audio-visual presentations that captured the gender and development issues in the family, workplace, and community.

An open forum encouraged participants to ask questions and discuss various issues regarding gender and the family.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Department of Health, Commission on Population, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, among others have expressed their interest in organizing their male staff for the same cause.

The forum was the second “men's event” organized by the MOVE this year. Last September, it conducted a gender sensitivity workshop for its members.