MEN, LET'S TALK

GENDER RELATIONS, SEXUAL HEALTH, PARENTING

ADDRESSING MALE ISSUES

Since assuming responsibility for the government's portfolio in Women's Affairs in 1995, and having to address the problem of Domestic Violence, I have been acutely aware of the need for the Women's Affairs Division to formally address the gender problems and concerns of men, for whom no structured governmental programme existed for addressing these issues.

In August 1996, we launched a Male Support Advisory Group within the Ministry to help us focus on the issues of men in their relationships with women. I met with the Division's staff and the Support Group on several occasions to discuss these matters. In December 1996, the Women's Affairs Division launched a very successful programme for our Male Awareness Week 1996.

Male Support Programme 1997

In 1997, we have engaged in gender training for young men and women of the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of their Induction Training Programme. Additionally, we have gender sensitized members of our Ministry's field staff so that gender issues may be adequately addressed in their 1997 programmes. Several other gender sensitization initiatives have been undertaken as they arise in institutions such as secondary schools, trade unions, community-based organizations and the Police Service.

Members of staff of the Women's Affairs Division have been active in Male Support initiatives and our male officers have participated in regional conferences/workshops focusing on such topics as "Gender, Families and Sexual health: A Spotlight on Men", and "Addressing Male Under-performance in the Education System".

We took the opportunity provided by the International Day against Violence to Women on November 25 to launch a week of activities to highlight the theme of non-violence and to launch a number of programmes already in progress through our Domestic Violence Unit, established within the Women's Affairs Division in June 1997. One of these is the Male Awareness Programme 1998.

Male Awareness Programme 1998

In 1998, the Programme will consist of the following components:

1. A gender sensitive project for men, themed, "Men, Let's Talk" focusing on gender awareness for young men in group based organizational settings such as the Police and Army Recruits, the Civilian Conservation Corps, young males in secondary schools, and other related institutions.

 

2. Community-based Pilot Support Groups for Men in identified, high-risk areas in the counties of Nariva-Mayaro, St. George East and Caroni. In fact, in Rio Claro, a Domestic Violence Support Group has already been formed as part of a pilot project of the Domestic Violence Unit. This group has already been trained to provide support and counselling for men who need assistance. This group will act as a model for action in other identified communities.

 

3. A pilot "Drop-In Centre" for men, conducted in collaboration with the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago's Outreach programme. The Ministry will be responsible for the gender sensitization and other training aspects of the Centre's programme.

 

4. A National Rally for Young Men towards the end of 1998, themed "United against Violence".

I urge you therefore, to lend your full support to my Ministry's efforts to foster gender equitable relations in Trinidad and Tobago and to be informed by the contents of the following articles and extracts on the theme, "Men, Let's Talk: Gender Relations, Sexual Health and Parenting".

_________________________________________________________

FPA'S SERVICES FOR MEN

"To increase men's commitment and joint responsibility in all areas of sexual and reproductive health and sensitize men to gender issues, as an essential element in ensuring women's equality and an enriched couple relationship for both men and women."

The above words reflected in the International Planned Parenthood Federation's Strategic Plan "Vision 2000", mirror the Family Planning Association's determination to bring men into the family planning fold.

Only one and a half years ago, FPATT, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago, inaugurated its clinic for Men, called the "For Men Only" Clinic. It is the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.

This decisive move was made in celebration of the Association's 40^th Anniversary in 1996. "This initiative was certainly in keeping with the identified unmet need, with the ideals outlined in IPPF's new ethical framework - The Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, one of which promotes 'the right to health care and health protection,'" said Mrs. Hetty Sarjeant, FPATT's Executive Director.

The Port of Spain clinic was established as a pilot project aimed at getting men involved in family planning and family health. Mrs. Sarjeant added, "Our family planning association was already offering a variety of sexual and reproductive health care services for women. However, the services available for men were limited. We now felt that we had an obligation to help men to understand how attention to their sexual and reproductive health could help them both enjoy sexual satisfaction and also prevent untimely death from disease of their reproductive organs."

Services offered by the clinic include male contraceptives, vasectomy, blood pressure test, weight checks, urine test for sugar and albumen, counselling on infertility and prostate gland examination, as well as referrals to a laboratory for Prostate Specific Antigen.

In Trinidad and Tobago there is a high incidence of prostate cancer. Statistics show that it currently accounts for 3.5 per cent of all male deaths in the country. Dr. Lall Sawh, a urologist consulting at FPATT, pointed out during the official opening of the clinic, "Men in Trinidad and Tobago very rarely do precautionary checks on their prostates. They seldom appear on our examination couches until they are symptomatic and alas, many a time with tumors already spread." The clinic also offers educational programs and the provision of specially designed pamphlets.

The clinic began offering its services once a month while it measured the demand for the services offered and until the association raised enough money to expand the facilities. The demand proved to be great, so much so, that after a month of operation the clinic had to open once a week.

The services were decentralized when the clinic's doctor and nurse went once every two weeks to a major oil company to provide reproductive health services to its male employees who showed an interest.

Men of all ages visit the clinic, from those in their twenties to their nineties. Many of them are from the 70+ age group. The vast majority, 65 per cent, stated that they had heard about the clinic through the media. Based on the findings of the medical examinations performed at the clinic, 71 per cent of the men were referred for further investigation.

"It is clear that we need to make the clinic opening hours more convenient for our clientele, encourage younger men to use the service and enter into a closer partnership with the mass media as a means of reaching out to a greater number of men," said Dr. Keith Clifford, FPATT's Medical Director. The male services clinic of Trinidad and Tobago continues to serve those who cannot afford to visit private doctors.

In addition to providing the "For Men Only" Clinic services, FPATT has also initiated a Men's support group called Men's Enlightened Network" which was established to give men an opportunity to define the role they must play within the sexual and reproductive health arena.

_________________________________________________________

From September 1- 3, 1997, a regional Conference/Workshop on "Gender, Families and Sexual Health: A Spotlight on Men" was held in Bridgetown, Barbados. This Conference/Workshop was hosted by the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR), and its specific objectives were outlined as follows:

1. To examine popular current beliefs regarding Caribbean behaviour patterns vis-à-vis familial responsibility, family planning, Aids/STDs, relations with partners, children etc. and to determine what new paradigms are needed to guide the belief system regarding gender dynamics and male involvement;

 

2. To guide the IPPF's incorporation of the major considerations related to male involvement and gender dynamics in its program design.

Over sixty (60) social scientists, regional government officials, representatives of regional Family Planning Associations and non-governmental organizations and other interested in family matters discussed and analyzed issues considered critical to men over the three-day duration. Trinidad and Tobago's delegation included two (2) male officers from The Women's Affairs Division of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Women's Affairs.

Some of the questions raised in the workshop centred around:

• The role of the extended family in the Caribbean, and what exactly constitutes a good father?

• Did existing beliefs reflect the day-to-day reality of men's lives in the definition of the new image of a father vs. the traditional image in the Caribbean"

• What barriers do poverty and unemployment often erect in the path of fathers, thereby preventing them from being fully involved in their children's lives?

The IPPF/WHR expressed the desire that the answers emanating from this conference would assist various institutions in the Caribbean develop and implement programmes to encourage good sexual health practices, improve relations and boost family ties.

The first panels up for discussion at the Conference, "Men as Fathers in the Caribbean Family", and "Sexuality and Male Identity" featured presentations by Dr. Neville Duncan (Jamaica), Dr. Christine Barrow (Barbados), Ms. Janet Brown (Jamaica), and Chuck Turner (USA). The presenters raised several key issues, which can be summarized as follows:

• There was a consistent tendency to view and evaluate the Caribbean family within the context of the nuclear family even in the face of evidence tot he contrary. This view forces us to see men only as husbands and fathers instead of their actual/other roles as friends, brothers, sons, etc.

• There was no distinct or set model of the Caribbean male or the ideal of fatherhood.

• Relations between men and women were often characterized by a high degree of mistrust and disillusionment.

• Difficulties in relationships between men and women affected their ability and opportunity for men to be good fathers (at some times).

• Shame was often associated with the all-too-frequent situations in which Caribbean men are demoralized and confused, and that fear, loss and sadness were often expressed as anger.

Dialogue on the part of the participants yielded many recommendations for action, and these can be listed as follows:

• We must rid ourselves of culturally inappropriate images and models since seeing the false image of Caribbean family as being primarily nuclear, diminishes the role of our men.

• We need to create a comfortable, non-confrontational climate where men alone, women alone, and men and women jointly can discuss problems and feelings. Men must be the authors of their own transformation. We must emphasize the importance of men coming together to discuss among themselves relevant issues in spite of the traditional modes of communication among men.

Panels like these amplified the critical concern faced by related agencies and reiterated by Judith Helzner, IPPF/WHR's Director of Programme Co-ordination that "there is growing feeling in the Caribbean that organizations and agencies working with families have lost out by not having more men involved in their activities and programmes". The conference therefore, expressly sought to address this pressing concern through its content and philosophy.

The Honourable Billie Miller, Deputy Minister of Barbados in her keynote address observed that in recent years, the Caribbean environment had provided a wide variety of initiatives to address the involvement of men in promoting gender equity. From academic research and discussion on issues involving and concerning men, to Family Planning service delivery, from activist organization to increased media coverage of issues, a rich set of experiences have been collected in our region. According to Miller though, these experiences have existed primarily in isolation. The Workshop therefore, provided the opportunity for these experiences to 'gel' together for the first time.

In conclusion, it would appear that the Workshop achieved its desired objectives, and lived up to the high expectations placed upon it by Ms. Miller who wore her other hat as the President of the IPPF/WHR, when she stated:

"The goal in bringing together the diverse group of participants with such rich but separate experiences together, is to create synergy and a cross-fertilization of ideas and contacts, to begin to create a true set of regional perspectives on this topic here in the Caribbean.

The interest, therefore, is to consider a new set of paradigms for understanding men and their families in the health sphere."