OSCE holds training course for Tajik men gender champions

A two-day training course on practical views and ideas for addressing gender stereotypes and mentorship programmes for men gender champions concluded on 29 March 2018 at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

The course brought together some 20 prominent men politicians and representatives of the parliament, political parties and civil society. It included a discussion of how to become a successful mentor in rural areas, and how this can lead to the advancement of women in all spheres of life.

Vesna Ivanovikj-Castarede, Gender and Anti-Trafficking Officer at the OSCE Programme Office, underlined the emphasis placed on how to unlearn attitudes that lead to prejudice: “Discrimination is often a result of prejudice. Deeply rooted stereotypes are a barrier for women’s advancement. Women have to prove themselves twice over, because of their gender,” she said.

Ivanovikj-Castarede added that the Office works with prominent Tajik men as well as with young men from the capital and from rural areas. “They are our best allies in transmitting to other men in the communities the message that, like men, women have a right to equal access to education, a life free from violence, pursuing a career and equal opportunities for participation in political life and decision making.

As a result of the training course, several new mentorship initiatives will start in various regions of the country, to be followed and supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe. The capacity of the networks of Tajik men gender champions will further increase during the upcoming summer camp for young men in Tajikistan.