Peace Corps Observes International Men’s Day

Submitted by Minuteman on Tue, 2012-11-20 03:11

Link here. Excerpt:

'In much of the developing world, men retain significant authority over many aspects of family and community life. Without men, we don’t have healthy communities. Men frequently control decisions about access to resources that either limit – or expand – access to education, health and social support services for women and girls. Men may – or may not – adopt and model behaviors that safeguard their own health and the health of their partners. Peace Corps employs several strategies that engage men and boys to reduce gender inequalities and promote the health and well-being of women, men, and children.
...
These male-focused activities are typically complemented by programs directly focused on women and girls. Hundreds of Volunteers in dozens of countries regularly organize “Girls Leading Our World” (GLOW) camps and similar activities that empower adolescent and young adult females to be conscious of and prepared to respond to male behaviors that may compromise their health and wellbeing.'

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Comments

Undoubtedly there will be efforts like we see here with the Peace Corps to co-opt anything called a "Men's..." if it gets too much notice or attention. Sometimes this'll succeed, I suppose. While men's rights issues languish, a day created to help draw attention to men's rights issues gets turned into yet another chance to wear a pink ribbon. Well, at least for some. But just because the Peace Corps does it doesn't mean others have to.

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Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2012-11-20 13:22

Even on a day to talk about boys and men, it has to be discussed in relation to how it benefits women? For all the power and authority men supposedly have, are men seriously not allowed to discuss their own issues outside the framework of feminist rhetoric? Seems some people can only see men as dangerous, violent, controlling and abusive. Vulnerable, abused, manipulated and controlled are not part of the vocabulary. Why am I not surprised at this attempt to co-op the international men's day for the benefit of women? The boys being constripted into the military before they are even as tall as the guns shoved into their hands, they don't matter. The boys dressed up as girls and raped because there is punishment for raping girls but not boys, they don't matter. The hundreds of thousands of men dieing alone on the streets, they don't matter. The men putting guns in their mouths and pulling the trigger, they don't matter. what matters is that men aren't doing enough the other 364 days of the year dedicated to women, we need to co-op this one day for acknowledging men's issues too, and make it for the benefit of women.

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Submitted by Kratch on Tue, 2012-11-20 13:52

"These male-focused activities are typically complemented by programs directly focused on women and girls."

What does that mean? This press release has an incredibly awful Orwellian "what about teh menz" vibe to it.

My comment, which is waiting in moderation:
"Thank you to the Peace Corps for demonstrating why it is so very important for there to be an International Men’s Day. I’m looking forward to read what the Peace Corps has to say on March 8th about what women and girls can do to improve the lives of men."

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Submitted by dungone on Tue, 2012-11-20 16:43