UN Women’s Executive Director visits MenCare partner AÇEV’s Father Support Program

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mambo-Ngcuka with members of the Father Support Program in Istanbul. Photo: UN Women/Ventua Formicone.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mambo-Ngcuka with members of the Father Support Program in Istanbul. Photo: UN Women/Ventua Formicone.

In honor of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka visited a group of fathers participating in MenCare partner AÇEV’s Father Support Program in Istanbul, Turkey in December. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said during her visit that fathers “are a vital part of the solution that has been missing” to prevent and end violence against women and girls.

AÇEV’s Father Support Program encourages fathers to take an active role in their children’s education and development. The program is currently being implemented in five Turkish provinces and is expected to reach almost 4,000 fathers by 2018.

The Father Support Program reaches fathers through a 15-week course that consists of structured, two-hour sessions in which fathers meet in all-male groups to freely discuss the challenges of being a father. The program supports fathers not only to learn about the positive effects of caregiving, but also to act as allies and partners in gender equality and in preventing gender-based violence. AÇEV is a leader in Turkey in engaging men as a strategy to combat violence against women and girls and to raise awareness about gender equality and women’s rights.

After her visit, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka declared: “There aren’t enough initiatives like this in the world yet, but your work here represents a global best practice, and we will be working to replicate your successes.”

Learn more about the visit here.