The Ministry of Equality has marked International Men’s Day with a series of workshops and a public lecture on the theme of ‘Supporting Boys and Rethinking Masculinities’. The Ministry has liaised with Beyond Equality, one of the leading UK-based organizations in gender equality, whose mission is to disrupt harmful norms and to work with men and boys towards gender equality, inclusive communities and healthier relationships.

Close to a hundred professionals attended the three workshops which were held for frontline staff from key stakeholder departments including the Department of Education, the Youth Service and the Care Agency. The focus of the workshops was on how public sector professionals can better understand the challenges facing boys and young men and how they can be best supported in navigating these challenges. Discussions around gender stereotypes, social norms and masculinities were also an important part of the workshops.

The workshops were delivered by Dr Dan Guinness, Co-founder and Managing Director of Beyond Equality, who was supported by his colleague Rosephine Fernandes, Communications Coordinator. 

The public lecture, which was over-subscribed, saw strong support for the event from the charity and NGO sector with representation from GibSams, ChildLine, Club House, Walking Together, Prostate Cancer Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Mental Welfare Society. The lecture concluded with a Q and A session and was followed by a drinks reception where guests were able to continue the conversation with the speakers.

Co-founder and Managing Director of Beyond Equality, Dr Dan Guinness, said: "Today there are urgent areas of work with men and boys: from equipping them with tools for building healthier relationships or looking after their health; to challenging man up culture and misogyny that contribute to mental wellbeing problems and men's violence against women and girls. In a time when discussions about men have swerved towards panic rather than preventative action, the team from Beyond Equality were energised by our time collaborating with and training an incredible group of professionals, educators, care workers, charities and government officials who are dedicated to taking transformative approaches to their work with men and boys."

Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, The Hon Christian Santos GMD MP said: “Marking International Men’s Day is an important part of the work that we undertake at the Ministry of Equality. I’m delighted that we have been able to work with Beyond Equality to generate important conversations around key issues affecting boys and men so that we can better support them going forward. I’m also very pleased to see that there has been significant traction around International Men’s Day in Gibraltar this year.”