Policy Environment for Male Youth in Jamaica, The: Findings from a Pilot of the Gender Equitable Male Involvement (GEMI) Tool

This report shares findings from a pilot of the POLICY Project's Gender Equitable Male Involvement (GEMI) Assessment Tool. In October 2002, the POLICY Project used the GEMI tool to conduct an assessment of the policy situation related to gender-equitable male involvement in Jamaica, with a focus on male youth. Based on interviews with key stakeholders from a cross-section of government, civil society, and youth-serving organisations, the assessment sought to describe the current policy conditions related to gender-equitable male involvement, and identify relevant priority areas for developing or strengthening supportive policies, and the related advocacy and policy dialogue, information, and capacity building needed to support this.

The finding are organised in three key sections.

Male Involvement and Priority Issues in the Jamaican Context

Respondents from all organisations and sectors interviewed felt that a focus on "male involvement" was urgently needed to address the profound economic and educational marginalisation that men, especially young men, face in Jamaica. The document points to need to change norms of masculinity, which are often linked to sexual activities and violence. Many respondents to the research attached importance to understanding how gender norms affect young men's healthseeking
behaviour and access to information, and how gender norms related to the organisation of health services have also limited men's involvement in their partner's health as well as health services specific to men's needs. It was proposed that norms of masculinity limit access to services and good information for young men. To address the impact of culture and the need for re-socialisation of men's behaviour and attitudes, the research identified the participation of family members, community, and the media as essential components of male involvement programmes.

Current Male Involvement in Programming

The research found that most male involvement programmes designed for young men in Jamaica have been local programmes, pilot interventions, and public-sector led efforts run by non-governmental and community-based organisations, with national efforts implemented through the Ministry of Health and the National Family Planning Board initiatives. Stakeholders noted that strategies to involve men have not translated easily from paper into practice. Although there are many promising examples of existing programmes including information and gender-based violence initiatives, there have been few opportunities to exchange experiences and synthesise lessons learned, and pilot interventions that appear to have been successful have often not been sustained.

The Current Policy Setting for Male Involvement

While there was overall consensus of the importance of male involvement, respondents felt there has not been a space or mechanism for sustained policy dialogue on the issue. Respondents saw creating a space and mechanism for a deliberate and ongoing policy dialogue about male involvement, especially with a focus on young men, as an important step to moving forward. They noted that such dialogue should include stakeholders from across the range of relevant sectors. The research found that two main groups: male-serving programmes, such as Father’s Inc., and reproductive health programmes aware of (and sometimes acting on) the centrality of men and male norms to reproductive healthcare were the most engaged on the topic. However, respondents noted that stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education have not yet engaged in key areas where interventions could make a difference.

Reccomendations

The majority of recommendations for the way forward focus on moving from consensus on the importance of addressing young men to a concerted, effective response. Many of the recommendations relate to different aspects of promoting policy dialogue to facilitate broader stakeholder involvement, gain consensus, and strengthen a coordinated response. Specific challenges and corresponding recommendations included the following:

• The need for sustained dialogue, involvement, and coordination among stakeholders and sectors.
• The current lack of a clear organisation, ministry, or mechanism with the scope to lead or implement a coordinated response to male involvement issues. Creating a leadership structure will be vital to moving from talk to action.
• There is a need for a shared analysis that would include understanding young men’s issues in the context of the overall gender situation in Jamaica and to compiling existing research and identify remaining gaps.
• New programming related to male involvement will need to identify strategies for addressing scarce resources.
• As part of expanding stakeholders’ involvement, it will be important to engage men’s leadership in policy dialogue.
• Ther is an unclear role of policy in addressing an issue that is so much rooted in “cultural norms.”

Potential Policy Implications

While the overall need for policy dialogue and consensus building was the main priority for the way forward, respondents also detailed specific opportunities related to policy development. These are as follows:

• The labour and education ministries’ policies should continue to promote school completion and economic opportunity.
• Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) and teacher training programming are important entry points for male involvement interventions and should begin earlier in the schooling system.
• The Ministry of Legal Affairs, and especially the court system, offers an important entry to policy issues related to young men’s violence and gender-based violence.
• In the health sector, stakeholders must operationalise male involvement programming and develop a specific adolescent response. Respondents noted the importance of strengthening the implementation of the male involvement framework articulated in the 2000–2005 Strategic Framework for Reproductive Health.
• There is a need to mobilise communities. All respondents emphasised that a bottom-up, community engaged response will be crucial to responding to young men’s needs. This would include:
• Community dialogue - because the situation facing young men is so much an issue of cultural norms and values, initial awareness raising and policy dialogue needs to occur from the ground up, starting in local community organisations.
• Male leaders in communities - such as policemen, faith-based professionals, and sports coaches - should be mobilised to address young men’s issues.
• To further enhance male involvement in family life, the educational system should be used to reach students’ fathers.
• Given mothers’ and fathers’ central role in young men’s socialisation, respondents emphasised programming for parents to support their own ability to help develop alternative norms of masculinity for their sons.
• Stakeholders should further engage the media and popular culture.

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