Men’s Responsibility in Stopping Violence Against Women - From Research to Action

The 16 days of activism from November 25 to December 10 is a global campaign led by UN Women to end gender-based violence. The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

In this event we will reflect on and learn about the actions that boys and men can do to contribute to eradicate Violence Against Women. After three short interventions from different backgrounds, an open dialogue will take place with in-person and online participants with the aim of inspiring change and social impact.

In this open session we welcome all people who want to contribute to make the world a better place by fostering dialogic relationships in their personal and professional lives: students, researchers, educators, and citizens of any other field.

Short Interventions by

Jeff Hearn: Stopping VAW means changing men and masculinities

Guillermo Legorburo Torres: Promoting boys and men who combine egalitarian and nonviolent values with confidence and courage to be upstanders

Daniel Woodward: My experiences in talking with and working with youth around masculinity and violence 

Bios:

Jeff Hearn is Professor Emeritus and Research Director of GODESS Institute at Hanken, and has worked on violence in, around and outside organisations for many years, and published widely on these and other EDI issues. Recent publications include those on the implications of digital intimate partner violence for businesses and other organisations, violence against women, physical violence and online violence,  upskirting, and the Nordic paradox around violence. His current work includes research and training as part in the EU project, UniSAFE on gender-based violence in universities, and research in the Hanken project, EqualCare on digitalisation and older people, led by Charlotta Niemistö. His most recent book on violence is Digital Gender-Sexual Violations, with Matthew Hall and Ruth Lewis, Routledge, 2023.

Guillermo Legorburo Torres is a PhD researcher at the University Rovira i Virgili, Spain. His Ph.D. topic is on the prevention of gender-based violence by considering the upstander role of New Alternative Masculinities (NAM). He works at CREA, the Community of Research on Excellence for All. Guillermo worked in the Up4Diversity European project and is the secretary of the scientific journal Masculinities and Social Change. He is part of the organising committee of the International Conference on Science, Feminism and Masculinities, CICFEM. He co-leads a group of men in dialogue, as well as to a Gay-Straight Alliance at his university.

Daniel Woodward is a graduate student in cultural studies and gender studies at the University of Helsinki. In his past position with DEI-company Ekvalita Ab, Woodward worked together with children and young adults around questions of masculinity and violence, and how to prevent violence perpetrated by men towards each other and women. Additionally, during his time at New York based women's rights NPO, Kota Alliance, he worked together with local organisations to empower women in the community by helping to raise  awareness about various forms of gendered violence. During 2024 Woodward will be partaking in a theatre production, Boys won't be boys, which challenges heteronormative assumptions about what it means to be a 'man' or 'masculine'.