Christopher Oyoo Yaye
Tangaza Men’s Initiative on
Gender - Based Violence
and HIV&AIDS
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based
Perspective, CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
1
Introduction
 HIV&AIDS is a global pandemic, which has evoked
responses from many quarters: Governments, NGOs,
the Church etc., since it is the greatest challenge to
socio-economic and global security.
 In many cases the pandemic has been as a result of
violence directed towards women and girls by men
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
2
Introduction Cont…
 Most NGOs that deal with HIV&AIDS in the areas of
advocacy, awareness and mitigation are directed
towards women with little or no attention paid to men
 There is need to join hands in the global effort to
provide care and support in order to reduce
vulnerability of HIV and to alleviate its impact from
the male perspective
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
3
Introduction cont…
 Tangaza Men’s Initiative on Gender-based Violence
and HIV&AIDS was started two years ago to tame the
tide of violence against women and HIV&AIDS
 We do this through a methodology (TAMAR) that
deviates from rigid and radical and rigid separation of
men and women; boys and girls etc., occasioned by the
way we understand Sex and Gender
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
4
What is Gender? What is Sex?
 What CAN a man do that a woman CANNOT do?
 What CAN a woman do that a man CANNOT do?
 At the Centre of these distinctions lies the very
concept of VIOLENCE against Women
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
5/23/2009
5
 Sex
Gender and Sex
 Natural
 Biological construct
 Common to humanity
 Based on facts
 Static – time/situations
 Gender
 Human designed
 Social construct
 Culture specific
 Perceptions
 Dynamic
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith
Based Perspective, CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
Definition of Gender
 Attributes of male and female labels to social roles and
attributes AS IF they arise from sexual differences,
although these attributes are acquired by a process of
socialization
 Women and Men’s roles and responsibilities that are
socially determined.
 Gender is related to how we are perceived and expected to
think and act as women and men because of the way
society is organized not because of our biological
differences.
 Gender is about masculinity and femininity
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
7
What is GENDER VIOLENCE?
 Gender Violence refers to unbiased response to human
needs based on gender
 Any negative perception and /or attitude that
undermines the dignity and identity of one sex over
another; it is a discrimination!
 It is to keep the discriminated and exploited in fear
and, therefore, unable to claim their rights as human
persons
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
8
Gender Analysis: Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue
 Contributory Factors:
1. Culture: Birth = boy child is more preferred to the girl-child
Among the “Shona” of Zimbabwe –when a young woman gives birth to a
girl- child, women ululate 3 times. If a boy, the ululation is 5 times; a
husband whose wife has given birth to a girl is regarded as “WEAK”
Among the Luo of Kenya a boy is regarded as “SIRO” (PILLAR), a woman
who has given birth to a boy has completed the process of marriage =
TRULY and FULLY married
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
9
Gender Analysis: Identifying a Gender- Violence Issue
2. Patriarchy- men have the power and authority
3. Patrilineality- when lineage is traced through the male/
fathers line even as the society socializes women to be safe
in the presence of men, it is the men who pose a lot of
danger to the women ; women MOSTLY try to play into the
needs of men to avoid controversy and to keep safe within
community structures
4. Concubinage and extra- marital affairs
5. Backyard circumcision as real circumcision
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
10
Gender Analysis: Identifying a Gender- Violence Issue
6. Socialization - In most African countries, man is presented
as an accomplished sexual performer and a woman is to
serve his interests this is what makes men to behave as if
the world is in deficiency of men.
- The challenge of gender-based violence is further
compounded by boy preference manifested even business
titling and naming e.g. “OMOLLO & SONS enterprises”
etc There is a lot of pressure on the boy child to succeed.
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
11
Gender Analysis: Identifying a Gender- Violence
Issue
8. Ecclesiastical hierarchy- even in churches where women
are allowed to preach- after they do so, men/ a man is
called upon to clarify the issues (raised by the woman)
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
12
EFFECTS OF G.B.V.
The effects of Gender-based violence are obvious:
 Sexual Assaults, Rape etc.
 Increased Vulnerability of women to STDs and
HIV&AIDS
 Denial of leadership roles and
 Low self-esteem among women etc,
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
13
Way Forward: THE TAMAR APPROACH
 The Tamar is a campaign that was launched in Kenya
in 2005 under the sponsorship of The Fellowship of
Christian Councils of Churches in the Great Lakes and
Horn of Africa – FECCLAHA
 TAMAR focuses on domestic and sexual violence to
challenge church and religious institutions to address
the crisis of GBV
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
14
Tamar Approach
 The Tamar is thus a Contextual 5 - step Bible Study:
Choosing the Theme – the reality of the community
2. Finding a Biblical Text – reading familiar text in
unfamiliar way
3. Questioning and reading – community
consciousness questions; drawing from the lived
experiences of the community
1.
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
15
Tamar Approach
4. Articulating and Owning – the theological
understandings of the text
5. Developing a plan of Action: Tamar is not only about
interpreting the Bible BUT ALLOWING the Bible to
equip us to change our world and mentalities for
mutuality in existence.
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
16
Tangaza and TAMAR
 Facilitate training workshops in colleges and
Universities
 Discussion days for students and staff on HIV&AIDS.
 Make Stickers and write articles to inform people on
what is going on – Tangaza Update
 Institute assemblies incorporate brief talk on
HIV&AIDS during the institute assembly.
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
17
Tangaza and TAMAR
 Perform drama and produce Videos on Gender-Based
Violence and HIV&AIDS
 Establish community outreach programs to support
the infected and affected
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
18
Implications for Today
Those who benefit from oppression of women will
never fight it BUT who is benefitting from current
scenario? We need to be deeply critical of situations
of Violence
2. Need to create awareness of gender discrimination,
gender inequality and gender violence from a male
perspective
3. Put structures in place to address this but
incorporate women
1.
Yaye, Technologies and Health: A Faith Based Perspective,
CCIH - USA
7/31/2017
19