MEN'S SPACE | Mobilising Men to HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment
Joab Khasewa, PO Prevention NSDCC (L), Phil Otieno, Executive Director of Advocates for Social Change (mid), Me (R) This week, I had the opportunity to engage in a discussion with top-notch gender experts, led by Phil Otieno, Executive Director of Advocates for Social Change – Kenya with religious leaders, public heath officers and young and adolescent persons. Our deliberations focused on the pivotal role that men play in the prevention of HIV and the battle against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Despite this significance, men's involvement in these efforts is often impeded by a lack of understanding of gender issues and the barriers hindering their advocacy and protection of progress made so far. To initiate this understanding, it is essential to grasp the concept of gender and its influence on HIV and SGBV. Gender encompasses the social roles, behaviours, and expectations society assigns to masculinity and femininity. Recognising that gender norms ...