Editorial.

Men for Gender Equality Now is a FEMNET initiative founded on FEMNET's experience of working with women and men. This work has proved that men are critical partners in bringing about change towards gender equality; and that men who are gender sensitised, responsive and supportive are key allies in the struggle at every level. The initiative is a regional network of men from Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia, Namibia and Somaliland.

The initiative came about as a result of a regional Men to Men Consultation on Gender Based Violence (GBV) that was held in Nairobi in December 2001 and attended by 27 men from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. The consultation culminated in the development of a plan of action, which specified follow-up actions at the regional and national level. Participants committed themselves to take action and requested FEMNET to host the network of Men for Gender Equality Now. On the basis of this recommendation and the proposed follow-up actions, FEMNET developed a project and raised funds to support the network.

The need to involve men in initiatives for gender equality and specifically efforts to combat GBV is articulated in several global, regional and national commitments, including the Cairo Programme for Action; the Beijing Platform for Action (PfA) and the Southern African Development Cooperation(SADC) Heads of States Declaration. Although the gender and development movement is more than twenty years old, the experience is that the focus remains on women and girls as victims of gender inequality, discrimination and violence. There is growing interest in working with men and a deliberate strategy to mobilise and involve males as partners in eliminating gender inequality. Men, as the key beneficiaries of gender discrimination, must be convinced that the transformation of society to make gender equality a norm will also benefit men and the entire society. Men who are convinced, committed and sensitised to issues of gender equality can be key allies in the mobilisation and involvement of other men.

Every person has a platform from which they can take action. As professionals, activists, policy makers, family members and citizens, gender responsive women and men have the possibility and responsibility to act to promote gender equality and, especially, to end GBV. Gender equality is an ideology whose time has come. Whether they believe in it or not, it impacts the lives of females and males of all ages, classes, socio-economic status, faiths and other groupings. The...