Ministry of Equality marks International Men’s Day with workshops and public lecture

The Ministry of Equality has marked International Men’s Day with a series of workshops and a public lecture on the theme of “Supporting Boys and Rethinking Masculinities”.

The events were organised in collaboration with Beyond Equality, a UK-based organisation that works with men and boys towards gender equality, inclusive communities and healthier relationships.

Close to one hundred professionals attended three workshops held for frontline staff from key stakeholder departments, including the Department of Education, the Youth Service and the Care Agency. The sessions focused on how public sector professionals can better understand the challenges facing boys and young men and how they can be supported in navigating these challenges.

Discussions on gender stereotypes, social norms and masculinities formed an important part of the workshops, which were delivered by Co-founder and Managing Director of Beyond Equality, Dr Dan Guinness, supported by Communications Coordinator, Rosephine Fernandes.

The public lecture, which was over-subscribed, saw strong support from the charity and NGO sector, with representation from GibSams, ChildLine, Clubhouse, Walking Together, Prostate Cancer Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Mental Welfare Society. The lecture concluded with a question and answer session and was followed by a drinks reception, where guests were able to continue discussions with the speakers.

Co-founder and Managing Director of Beyond Equality, Dr Dan Guinness, said: "Today there are urgent areas of work with men and boys: from equipping them with tools for building healthier relationships or looking after their health; to challenging man up culture and misogyny that contribute to mental wellbeing problems and men's violence against women and girls.”

“In a time when discussions about men have swerved towards panic rather than preventative action, the team from Beyond Equality were energised by our time collaborating with and training an incredible group of professionals, educators, care workers, charities and government officials who are dedicated to taking transformative approaches to their work with men and boys."

The Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, Christian Santos, said: “Marking International Men’s Day is an important part of the work that we undertake at the Ministry of Equality. I’m delighted that we have been able to work with Beyond Equality to generate important conversations around key issues affecting boys and men so that we can better support them going forward. I’m also very pleased to see that there has been significant traction around International Men’s Day in Gibraltar this year.”