COMMENTARY: Honoring Fathers Working Towards Change

Commentary by CEDPA President Yolonda C. Richardson

June 10, 2008—Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15 and the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) is marking this special day by honoring fathers around the world who are working to improve the lives of women and girls in their communities.

Through more than 30 years of programming, CEDPA recognizes that men and boys are essential to confront these sobering statistics:

• Women comprise nearly half of all those living with HIV, and more than 60% of those living with HIV in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.
• More than 51 million girls around the world are married before their 18th birthday.
• One in three women worldwide are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates reaching as high as 70 percent in some countries.

In many parts of the world, men are the key decision makers regarding healthcare and education for the women in their family. The good news is that male involvement programs are targeting men and boys making them the linchpin for combating HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, violence against women and child marriage.

Woman facilitator speaking to a group of men and boys in India.

For example, CEDPA’s girls’ education programs in India and Egypt also reach boys and young men, helping them understand the importance of girls’ education and building skills in leadership and family conflict resolution. The participants who complete the program have a more favorable view on shared responsibility in family decision making and are more likely to support equitable treatment for boys and girls in relation to work and marriage. This successful model has been replicated in Nigeria and South Africa through our Better Life Options programs.

CEDPA will continue to ensure that men and boys are integrated as key partners in efforts to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.

Find our more about CEDPA’s programs in Egypt and India.

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