‘Big Man Ting’ campaign to tackle gender violence

The Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) has launched a public education campaign entitled 'Big Man Ting'.

This media initiative aims to promote positive masculinity by engaging men and boys as allies in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and challenge harmful gender norms that contribute to GBV. Dr Deanna Ashley, executive director of the VPA, said that "Men and boys play a crucial role in dismantling the toxic norms that contribute to gender-based violence".

She noted that the key objectives of the campaign, which commenced on Valentine's Day, is designed to deliver a series of impactful messages targeting men and boys, to raise and strengthen their awareness about how harmful gender norms affect lives, relationships, and communities and to position more men as partners and advocates for gender equality. Ashley stated that the campaign employs several strategic approaches to ensure maximum engagement and impact. These include showcasing positive role models featuring 'big men' who exemplify responsible and respectful behaviour through videos, testimonials, as well as school and community events. It will also leverage community champions by engaging respected figures within communities to disseminate and reinforce the campaign's messages.

The campaign is part of the WE-Talk Project, a broader initiative dedicated to contributing to the reduction of GBV in Jamaica and creating safer communities especially for women, girls, boys, and other marginalised groups. Over the next two years, VPA will implement a variety of other interactive engagements that promote positive masculinity through a gender-transformative approach, which includes encouraging self-reflection, self-awareness, examining power dynamics and discriminatory behaviours.

"We are using familiar cultural platforms like music and sports to make these critical conversations more engaging and relatable. Our goal is to create an ongoing dialogue that fosters real change, that promotes respect and equality," noted Ashley.

The WE-Talk initiative is supported by Oxfam Canada and with funding from the government of Canada.