December 2017: Engaging dads through advocacy and action
MenCare’s December 2017 newsletter brings you updates from Central America, Georgia, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United States, and around the world. Learn more about the research, programs, and campaigns our partners are leading to engage men in fatherhood and caregiving worldwide. The MenCare campaign is now active in 45 countries on five continents!
Decades of research and program implementation have shown that meaningful, transformative engagement with men and boys – as fathers, caregivers, and beyond – can have a significant impact on promoting gender equality and preventing violence. However, many of these interventions with men and boys – like those for women... Continue Reading
The survey Men and Gender Relations in Georgia, conducted with UNFPA’s support, finds that only 14% of men in Georgia are primarily responsible for cooking, only 13% do the laundry, and only 12% clean the apartment. The share of men involved... Continue Reading
MERGE for Equality, a MenCare partner in the United States, is working to change the way we raise boys through two pilot initiatives targeting early childhood educators and child-serving agencies: the Developing Healthy Boys Training and the Children’s Book Campaign. On November 29-30, 2017, nearly 60 early childhood educators and community leaders, representing... Continue Reading
At an event in St. Petersburg on December 1, 2017, MenCare partners in Russia launched an interactive map showing the Russian organizations, centers, and activist groups that are working to engage men as involved fathers and caregivers in the country, as part of the new “Отцовство в России” (“Fatherhood in Russia”) online portal. The interactive... Continue Reading
Sonke Gender Justice, MenCare’s global co-coordinator, welcomed the acceptance of the Labour Laws Amendment Bill (LLAB) by South Africa’s National Assembly on November 28, 2017. The legislation provides for 10 days of parental/paternity leave for new fathers and non-birth-giving mothers, along with expanded adoption leave, increased maternity leave benefits, and additional parental and workplace protections.... Continue Reading
MenCare partners Men for Gender Equality Sweden (MÄN) and Save the Children Sweden launched the Swedish translation of the 2017 State of the Worlds Fathers: Time for Action report on November 10, 2017 at an event in Stockholm, Sweden. State of the World’s Fathers: Time for Action, a MenCare publication... Continue Reading
World Vision Lanka’s Nuwara Eliya Area Program (AP), a MenCare partner, recently conducted its annual graduation from the MenCare program in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. After participating in 11 sessions to build gender-equitable parenting and caregiving skills, a total of 225 fathers graduated from the program, modeled on MenCare’s Program P. During the event, graduating fathers... Continue Reading
In December 2017, MenCare global co-coordinator Promundo and Steering Committee member MenEngage Alliance conducted a training of facilitators on engaging Bhutanese, Burmese, and Nepalese refugee and immigrant fathers in the United States through a new program called Fatherhood 2.0. Fatherhood 2.0 is an adaptation of MenCare’s Program P, which provides concrete strategies to engage men in active fatherhood from prenatal... Continue Reading
On December 8, 2017, MenCare partners in Georgia presented the children’s book Lullaby for Lilly (იავნანა ლილისთვის) at an event dedicated to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. The book is written by... Continue Reading
On October 10, 2017, leaders of the Dutch parliament presented their new coalition agreement, titled Confidence in the Future, which includes provisions to expand parental leave in the Netherlands. Under the new agreement, the Dutch government agreed to extend leave for fathers (and other partners)...
A new study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that spanked children are more likely to be violent toward future dating partners, adding a new reason for parents to be wary of corporal punishment.
Male contraceptive methods represent a “huge missed opportunity” for the development community both in terms of driving family planning and in helping to promote gender equality, advocates say.
The 4th International Conference on Shared Parenting will be held in Strasbourg, France on November 22-23, 2018. Specialists in the field of shared parenting – representing both the academic sciences and the legal and family professions – are invited to present their research results and professional practice accounts at this interdisciplinary conference.
Find out more about how to submit an abstract or paper here.
Who’s Who at MenCare
Tim Shand MenCare Global Co-Coordinator
Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships,
Promundo-US
Washington, DC Email
Wessel van den Berg MenCare Global Co-Coordinator
Programme Manager,
Sonke Gender Justice
Cape Town, South Africa Email
Central America 
