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Experts challenge gender stereotypes and roles in Latin America and the Caribbean
Gabriela Ramos (Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO) opened the discussion and presented UNESCO’s new Flagship Programme against Gender Stereotypes. She reiterated UNESCO’s outrage against the high rates of femicides and increases of domestic violence in the region and against all the social and cultural norms that repeatedly disparage women’s worth and violate their fundamental human rights. She moreover stressed the need to uproot and condemn these prejudices and inequalities that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.
The consultation welcomed more than 165 participants from: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Bahamas, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Northern Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay.
It was moderated by Tim Shand, Co-founder and Director of ShandClarke Consulting Ltd, expert in women’s empowerment, masculinities, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and consultant for UNESCO’s new Flagship Programme. Paula Isturiz Cavero, from UNESCO’s Office in Kingston, was the discussant of this webinar.
Ana Inés Alvarez (Executive Director, AVON Foundation, Argentina) highlighted the asymmetries produced by societal norms and gendered stereotypes and shed light on the drastically increased level of marginalization of the transgender community in the region.
Diana Parra (Undersecretary of Women’s Affairs, Bogotá Mayor's Office, Colombia) shed light on the importance of involving both men and women into discourses on cultural and gendered roles. She highlighted that violence is an unnatural response for humankind.
Fabiana Goyeneche (Director of International Relations of the Municipality of Montevideo, Uruguay) stressed the exasperated effects of the pandemic on women, men and specifically children in terms of violence, poverty and health. She highlighted the urgent need to include women in the discussion around the table.
Judith Wedderburn (Previous Director of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, (FES) for Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean) discussed the differentiated impacts of deeply enriched social norms and gender stereotypical roles in Jamaica on men and women.
Kevin Liverpool (Administrator, Caribbean Male Action Network (CariMAN), Trinidad and Tobago) highlighted the high rates of gender-based violence across the Caribbean brought forward in several recent studies.
Miguel Fontes (Executive Director and Chairman of the Board, Promundo, Brazil) focused on the culture of machismo behind the gender stereotypes, which have reached extremes in the COVID-19 context.
As part of UNESCO’s Flagship Programme against Gender Stereotypes, this is the fourth in a series of six webinars that aim to take stock of the current challenges and solutions and develop a roadmap for UNESCO’s upcoming efforts to address the issue of gender stereotyping. This series targets decision-makers, the academic and scientific communities, NGO communities, international civil society, media and private sector.
