Women’s Commission holds masculinity workshop

We hear about so many cases of domestic violence, about men being arrested for hitting, or perhaps even killing the women they claim they love. While the police do make arrests, this occurs after the violence has already taken its toll. Can’t something be done to prevent such outbursts? This week the National Women’s Commission changed its focus from the women to the men by holding a unique workshop they hope will get the ball rolling and make more men think before they act. Many Belizean women think it’s about time.

Whether it is on the home front or in the workplace men and women often have problems understanding and communicating with each other. Relations between the sexes are not always on an equal level and can lead to abuse, or at the very least, make life with the man you love difficult.

Woman #1

“Well, I think men really need to change because men are not really fair with women anyhow so I guess they have to really change their attitudes.”

Woman #2

“I would like them to change in realizing that women have equal rights with men and many times men think that women are so low they treat them this way.”

Fr. Leroy Flowers

“We also have the situation where there are many professional women who do not help their husbands walk with them. And so what is happening, the husband becomes the messenger and she is the top brass and they can’t mesh. And that is creating huge domestic problems in society and we pretend that it doesn’t exist.”

Woman #3

“Man “da drama” nowadays, a lot of things with men. Some of them nice but some of them… oh you can’t take them!”

It is a problem the men themselves have begun to acknowledge and some at least are interested enough to try and make a change. On Wednesday, The National Women’s Commission held a masculinity workshop for participants from government departments and N.G.O.’s who provide services on issues of family and sexual violence.

Stephen Heusner, B.D.F.

“With respect to man versus woman. I think if we try to understand the concept of women and the concept of men in that men and women actually do things sort of different. For example when a woman is sort of angry she would go and speak with someone and try to get it out of her system where as the man would try to pull into a corner and deal with things in his own way and later on if he wants he will let the woman into his world and explain his problem.”

Oswaldo Montoya, a PAHO consultant and coordinator of the workshop says the reason why some men act the way they do is because they have been taught that it is expected of them to be leaders and in control of any situation, regardless of how their actions affect women.

Oswaldo Montoya, Coordinator, Masculinity Workshop

“Much part of our life has been fulfilling someone else’s expectations, cultural expectations of how to fulfil as males and we are trying to honor some part of that training. We have to fulfil, we have to achieve. We have to have many women and dominate others. We are trying to break that in some way.”

The participants say they will share what they learned with their co-workers so that they can better relate to the women in their lives. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.

The Pan American Health Organization provided funding for the workshop.