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There is, however, growing recognition of this gap and promising initiatives are
beginning to take root.
Examples of legal and public policy initiatives addressing men and violence against
women
Maria da Penha Law (Brazil)
As a result of discussions between women‟s rights groups and groups working to
engage men in violence prevention, the law includes language mandating the
establishment of batterer intervention programmes with public funds from the Ministry of
Justice, as well as violence prevention campaigns aimed at schools and the population
at large.
A user-friendly guidebook produced by the Centro Feminista de Estudos e Assessoria
that includes the full text of the law (Portuguese only) is available at:
http://www.cfemea.org.br/pdf/leimariadapenhadopapelparaavida.pdf.
Information on the law is also available in English and Spanish.
Preventing Violence before it Occurs: A Framework and Background Paper to
Guide the Primary Prevention of Violence against Women in Victoria (Australia)
The State Government of Victoria in Australia developed a coordinated, multi-sector
plan to guide evidence-informed primary prevention policy and interventions, outlining
priority strategies, settings and population groups. “Promoting equal and respectful
relations between men and women” is one of the three main action areas with men and
boys as one of the main target groups. The Government of Australia, in its 2009
Women‟s Budget Statement has committed USD 20 million for its implementation with
an additional USD 3 million for research on male attitudes that perpetuate physical and
sexual violence and for prevention activities carried out by the White Ribbon Campaign.
The Framework is available in English.
The Men and Gender Equality Policy Project (Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, South
Africa, and other countries)
The International Center for Research for Women (ICRW in the US) and Instituto
Promundo (Brazil) are currently implementing an initiative called the Men and Gender
Equality Policy Project that will enhance the body of knowledge on how policies can
encourage men and boy‟s to participate in promoting gender equality and ending
violence against women. The objectives of the project include:
� Analyze the degree to which public policies related to gender equality include or
engage men and boys.
� Engage groups of policy makers and key experts in each of the collaborating
countries in analyzing policy gaps and policy opportunities.
� Carry out a qualitative study of men involved in alternative or non-traditional care
giving roles in each country as a way to map or understand the factors that lead
men to change.
Men and Boys Knowledge Module January 2012 42