Campaign to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality

Launched in May, the campaign aimed to engage students and youth in promoting gender equality with an emphasis o­n the role of men. The campaign focused o­n breaking down gender stereotypes which can limit people’s freedom to choose their own careers, or dictate family dynamics.

The submissions for the contest were diverse in ideas and approaches and addressed topics such as son preference, stigma against men who choose professions that are considered feminine, and the traditional roles of husband, wife, sons and daughters in the household. Students created paintings, interactive plays, news articles, documentaries, artistic videos and life-size mannequins. Even the title of the campaign, “Adam in the New Era,” was selected from a student's submission; it is meant to represent a new generation of boys and men who will dare to break gender stereotypes and promote gender equality.

The contest drew a total of 25 entries, from which 15 were selected in the first round. The creators of those submissions were invited to a o­ne day training workshop o­n gender equality. There, they learned about gender issues, gained communications skills and had the opportunity to share their opinions with other participants and gender experts. Six groups were then chosen to pass into the next round and compete in the finale in front of a judging panel o­n June 25th.

“Mirror”was selected as the winner for the first prize. The winning video artistically, and somewhat humorously, captured the pain of a wife restricted to a life of housework and the indifference of her husband. But, in the video, everything changed after the husband dreamt that he was trapped at home to do housework while his wife left him to go to work. This experience made him understand his wife’s struggle and made him realize the error of his ways. The mirror was a symbol throughout the film, as it appeared to be a witness and reflection of this small family. The jury was impressed by the quality of the film, the clarity of the message, and the artistic presentation.

Mr Pham Thang Long, o­ne of the event organizers, remarked that “The campaign succeeded in bringing students and youth from different universities together to work for the common goal of promoting men and boy’s engagement in gender equality and to recognize their roles, responsibility and potential capacity.” Bee Nguyen, a member of winning team, said that she appreciated the chance to learn about gender equality and gain communications skills. She benefited so much from the experience that she hopes there will be similar activities for students in the future.

At the award ceremony, Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Representative in Viet Nam, congratulated the winners and all contestants for their achievements. She said that the active participation and dedication of students who are genuinely interested and committed to gender equality makes her optimistic for the future of Viet Nam. She encouraged young people to continue learning more about gender equality, to spread the messages they learned during the campaign and continue to actively engage in the promotion of gender equality to make their creative visions a reality.