Boys are taught at school and at home to respect and uphold a system based not on equality but on power and patriarchy. A workshop in Kathmandu brought together male film directors to discuss masculinities and resulted in a plan to produce documentaries aimed at giving men and boys a different image of what masculinity might be - a contrast to media perspectives that accept violence towards women as the norm. Film can act as a catalyst to kick start a process of working with boys and men to question patriarchal structures, nurture respect for women and girls, and acknowledge the right of both sexes to live free of violence. Children in both rural and urban areas of South Asia are far more visually literate than earlier generations. Communicating via visual electronic media will help have an impact on children and youth.
Strategies based solely on information dissemination have limited impact.
Films need to both present a message and provoke discussion. Films need to be part of a larger, co-ordinated effort towards working with men and boys to question gender norms. All rights reserved.