President Paul Kagame has urged fellow African leaders to commit to tackling the negative mindset in some men and boys that normalises violence against women and girls. Kagame, who was addressing participants at the inaugural Men’s Conference on Positive Masculinity, stressed that through working together, it was possible to end the scourge. The masculinity meeting being hosted in DR Congo is a brainchild of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) under the leadership of its patron, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Various Heads of State including host President Felix Tshisekedi, Senegal’s Macky Sall, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe were present at the meeting. Kagame told participants that women and girls remain vulnerable to abuse despite the leaders’ recognition that it is deeply wrong, and harmful to collective development efforts. “There is no denying that men are generally the authors of violence against women and girls,” he said. The Head of State stressed that men, in particular, have a special responsibility to speak out and take action. “We must act to tackle the structural impediments and deep-seated norms that fuel harmful masculinities, and cultivate instead, in the words of this conference, positive notions of masculinity,” he added, “Women’s empowerment should be anchored in strong legal and policy frameworks.” Kagame shared Rwanda’s experience in stemming the tide, stating that his government has so far established more than 40 Isange One Stop Centres, countrywide, to provide protection and care to victims of gender-based violence, 24 hours a day. “It is time to work together towards an African Union convention to eliminate violence against women and girls,” he asserted. Blaming Covid-19 is short-sighted The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many of the shortcomings and inequalities, and the equality gap of men and women is no exception. Mohammed, who shared her remarks virtually, observed that it is true that under the pandemic there were increased levels of violence globally. “But blaming the pandemic for gender-based violence is short-sighted. It is also wrong,” she added, “This is about far more than the pandemic social and economic impacts and far more than the additional stress and uncertainty it has put on families.” Mohammed rather said that it is ultimately about the unspoken truth in the room, male violence. “It is your turn to do more especially when it comes to preventing violence in the first place.” She urged fellow African leaders to use the platform as a new starting point to discover effective ways of changing harmful male attitudes towards women and girls. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Patron of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), thanked the leaders for allowing to take part in the global awareness campaign. “Your presence here shows that ending violence against women and girls is a fundamental human right and a catalyst for the achievement of SDGs and agenda 2063.”
