Announcements  ---  

Joint Statement:
28 September, International Safe Abortion Day

MenEngage Global Alliance and North American MenEngage Network

We, MenEngage Global Alliance and North American MenEngage Network (NAMEN), on the occasion of this 28 September 2021, International Safe Abortion Day, come together in support of all women, girls, and people who can become pregnant in their right to access safe and legal abortions and to uphold their right to bodily autonomy, sovereignty, and choice over their own bodies and lives. 

On this day, we express our solidarity with all involved in the call for universal access to affordable, safe, and legal abortion. We call all men and boys, especially men in positions of power and influence across institutions, to be responsible and join women, girls, and people of diverse gender identities in actions to protect and expand access to safe and legal abortions and post-abortion care everywhere.  

The ability of each and every one of us to make autonomous decisions about our own bodies and lives includes decisions about pregnancy and abortion. We must challenge the norms, systems, and policies that create barriers to safe abortion and post-abortion care, and restrict women and girls, in all their diversities, to their fundamental autonomy over themselves. We believe that no impediment should come between a pregnant person and their choice of whether or not  to carry a pregnancy to term. Yet, many women and girls are currently not able to access the safe and legal abortion and care they need globally. We recognize the disproportionate impact  on women of color,  black, indigenous, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and nonbinary individuals, and youth communities living at these intersections and who are on the margins of the margins. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 3 out of 10 (29%) of all pregnancies, and 6 out of 10 (61%) of all unintended pregnancies, ended in an induced abortion. While abortion is a simple procedure, and safe forms of abortion are available throughout the world, of all abortions performed each year worldwide approximately 45% continue to be unsafe, posing unnecessary risks to the health and life of the pregnant person.  

We believe that sexual and reproductive health and rights are not only women's issues. They are  issues for everyone and impact all of us. We call on men and boys to add their voices and take actions to protect access to safe and legal abortion, to protect universal access to health, and to speak up when they see violations of the human rights of women and girls taking place, including their right to reproductive healthcare.   

We are outraged that around the world women and girls continue to lack access to safe sexual and reproductive health services and abortion, particularly in countries where abortion is criminalized. We are also outraged by the systematic attempts by policymakers to revoke women’s rights in countries where abortion is legal, including most recently in the United States with Texas Law SB8, laying the foundation for dozens of states across the US to take the same action. 

This is a clear attack on women’s human and SRHR rights in the US, while they have been recognized as individual rights for a very long time.We are aware that the ability to travel to other States for these services bears a disproportionate socio-economic burden on Black, Latin and Indigineous women, women of lower-income and in informal labor, who are unable to take time off or to afford the expenses incurred, further marginalizing and directly targeting them. We collectively condemn this regressive move by the State and raise our collective voices to protect the right of pregnant people to end a pregnancy, if they so wish, in privacy and with dignity. 

The North American MenEngage Network (NAMEN) and MenEngage Alliance, therefore stand in solidarity with the women and abortion services and care providers in the United States and globally who have been under attack. Recent measures strive to sow fear and doubt in their rights, and intentionally create mistrust among and within the population, communities and families. Such measures are attacks on the fundamental rights and health of women and girls, and the wellbeing of communities all of which are appalling and unacceptable to us as men, boys, and supporters of women’s rights.

Supporting women’s right to safe and legal abortion is crucial in MenEngage Alliance’s activism globally. Together we take this opportunity to commit to supporting women’s fundamental rights to bodily autonomy and reproductive rights and work to challenge laws and policies restricting the right and access to safe abortion and post-abortion care for everyone who needs them. We call upon all men and boys, in all diversities, to work as meaningful allies in ending this long-overdue existing control of women’s sexuality and reproduction.

On this day, we call for the following:

Call to Action

• We call on the US Congress to protect federal law for the right to abortion, for all women, girls, and people who can become pregnant. We call on lawmakers in the State of Texas to immediately repeal Texas law SB8

• We call on other states to open access for women, girls, and people who can become pregnant as individuals from Texas seeking critical abortion services 

• We call on men and boys, in all their diversities and at all levels of society, especially men in positions of power and policymaking, to stand up and speak out alongside and in favor of the rights of all women,girls, and people with diverse identities to make the choices that are best for their bodies, their lives. 

On this 28 September 2021, International Safe Abortion Day, as MenEngage Alliance and NAMEN, we commit to continue to stand up and against any policy that limits anyone, anywhere, to make autonomous decisions about our own bodies and lives including decisions about pregnancy and abortion. We commit to the critical task of centering and elevating the agency, voices, analysis, and demands of girls and women of color, black, indigenous, lesbian, gay, transgender, youth, and non-binary individuals who are at the margins of the margin to access to safe and legal abortion, and care. We together commit to stand in solidarity and follow the leadership of feminist and SRHR leaders in this joint global struggle.

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NAMEN is ready to hire a part time executive director position.

Visit here for full information:

Executive Director Job Posting

NAMEN hosts a Member Meet-up every other month.  For various reasons, we have needed to postpone the March session, originally scheduled for March 22nd.   Please watch this space for additional news.  Thanks for your participation.

NAMEN ANTI-ASIAN HATE STATEMENT

North American Men Engage Network (NAMEN) is outraged by the senseless and unthinkable killing of eight people in Atlanta on March 16, 2021, six of whom were Asian women. We condemn this racialized misogyny and femicide and push back against Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander (API) rhetoric, hate, and violence. We recognize that paramount in this brutality is the targeting of API women at the intersections of race, class, and gender. We recognize that Anti-Asian violence has been deeply embedded and upheld throughout U.S. history and policy on all levels and that we must call out and hold accountable all those that perpetuate violence, defend or embolden violence against API individuals, and/or ignore violence against the API community. We stand in solidarity with all API communities across North America and worldwide and will continue to interrogate and fight against xenophobia and white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, and ceaseless justifications for hate violence.

NAMEN Board of Directors

Announcement.   NAMEN Board Member, James Arana, is a panelist on a webinar presentation with the United Nations.

You are cordially invited to attend the United Nations General Assembly Virtual Side Event
Topic: Engaging Men & Boys to Advance Gender Equality
Hosted by: Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN)
September 24, 2020
9:00AM - 11:00AM Belize Time
11:00AM - 1:00PM New York Time
via Zoom

Register in advance for this virtual event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PK8tB-S1SwmSNJ-dxHcbgQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the virtual event.

Our most recent Member Meet-Up, held on July 23rd, is now posted.

Please visit this page to view.

Recordings of our two most recent programs are now posted.

Webinar: Mobilizing Dad's for Gender Equality

Member Meet up Number Two, Discussion About Men's Self-Interest

Joint Statement of North American MenEngage Network and MenEngage Global Alliance

We, the members of the North American MenEngage Network and MenEngage Global Alliance, stand by and add our voices to the expressions of outrage and call for justice at the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, the United States on Monday May 25, 2020.

This is the latest in a long line of killings of unarmed African Americans by US police officers and members of the public, including Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), Ahmaud Arbery (February 23, 2020), Atatiana Jefferson (October 12, 2019) to name some of the recent ones. We condemn these killings and the systemic racism that continues to violate and oppress people of color every day in the United States and around the globe. We also acknowledge and condemn that African Americans are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of systemic racism.

MenEngage Alliance represents organizations and individuals in North America and from around the world, of diverse race, nationalities, gender and sexual identities, religious affiliations, and backgrounds, working together to advance gender justice, human rights and social justice. We recognize that the privileges of white supremacy and the privileges of male domination are deeply interconnected in the racist acts of these police officers and the systemic and institutional racism inherent in everyday lives of people, the justice system and authorities in the United States.

As people of color in MenEngage Alliance, we are angry, grieving, afraid, and emotionally exhausted by the daily challenge of navigating the systemic and institutionalized inequalities, injustices and hatred against us, and the search for spaces where we can enjoy our rights to safety, life and freedom.

As white people in MenEngage Alliance, we are horrified by the racist mindsets and actions of so many white people and the systems that privilege us at the cost of our fellow comrades with diverse skin colors and ethnicities.

Together we are outraged that the deaths of Black Americans and other people of color targeted because of their race have become shockingly routine. This must stop once and for all NOW.

As groups working for equality and justice, we will not be silent. We stand in solidarity with the ongoing work of the Black Lives Matter movement. We call for the highest levels of accountability for the individuals, police departments and judicial systems involved in Mr. Floyd’s killing, as well as numerous other Black Americans. We further demand that all police officers who resort to use of force be charged and convicted for the crimes committed, for all the cases.

We condemn the racist and incendiary statements made by the US President Donald J. Trump. We call on political, social and cultural leaders in the United States to acknowledge that this country has been built on centuries of exploitation of black and indigeneous people and boldly address the ongoing brutality of racism in this country and around the world.

Institutional and systemic racism is often present alongside and interlinked with misogyny, colonialism, capitalism, homophobia and transphobia, and many other forms and systems of hatred and oppressions. We call on our institutions to commit to sustained transformational change to root out discrimination and violence in our communities. We call on and support allies within these institutions who are speaking up, challenging institutional racism, and who are committing to long-term, sustainable change.

We commit to mobilizing our national, regional and global networks of organizers, policy makers, educators and activists to confront racism in ourselves, our organizations and our communities, and to building anti-racist communities and institutions where all people are equal and free.

We call upon everyone to stand against racism, hate and brutality in all its forms, and to work for justice, love and solidarity!

We further encourage you to read this article written by our member, Board member of NAMEN, and global leader Tonya Lovelace, Can We Breathe? The Politics of Breath in COVID-19 and the Carceral State

Statement as posted with Global MenEngage Alliance, including Spanish language version.

For immediate Release

MERGE for Equality To Join With the North America MenEngage Network

Two gender equality organizations with the specific focus on masculinities and engaging men and boys are joining forces, leaders of MERGE for Equality and the North American MenEngage Network recently announced. MERGE for Equality, a Massachusetts nonprofit noted for its innovative training promoting the emotional and social development of boys, is set to become a program of the North American MenEngage Network (NAMEN), a U.S.-Canadian network of educators, advocates and activists, and regional member of the Global MenEngage Alliance.

“We are delighted for MERGE to become a program offered through NAMEN,” said Shane Joseph, Co-Chair of NAMEN’s Steering Committee. “Its core program—training early childhood educators about issues related to boys’ socialization—is completely in line with our mission - working with men and boys to achieve gender equality, end violence, and promote health for men, women and children.” James Arana, MERGE Senior Consultant, concurs, “When boys are equipped with the tools to cultivate their emotional intelligence, they thrive personally, socially and academically, and grow to become caring, engaged and accountable men.”

With the program now becoming a part of NAMEN, MERGE founder John Engel is stepping down as executive director. “I can’t think of a more fitting organization for MERGE to join than the North American MenEngage Network,” Engel said. “It has the expertise, commitment and focus to direct not just our early childhood initiative but also our children’s book campaign that promotes positive images of emotionally sensitive boys,” Engel said.

“In addition to beneficial program impacts, joining the two organizations brings administrative and financial benefits," said Craig Norberg-Bohm, NAMEN’s Administrative Coordinator. “NAMEN becomes a tax exempt nonprofit corporation and can now formally apply for funding to build its operational and programmatic capacity. Sharing administrative tasks will enable all of us to maximize resources available to focus on the shared mission - gender equality.”

As a program of NAMEN, MERGE’s early childhood initiative will continue without significant change, according to Steven Botkin, Co-Chair of NAMEN’s Steering Committee and MERGE Senior Consultant. “MERGE itself carries the legacies of the Men’s Resource Center of Western Massachusetts and Men’s Resources International,” Botkin said. “Joining MERGE and NAMEN together is the perfect next chapter in our evolution.”

For more information, contact

Craig Norberg-Bohm, MERGE Administrative Coordinator
MERGE for Equality
info@mergeforequality.org

Shane Joseph, NAMEN Co-Chair
Steven Botkin, NAMEN Co-Chair
Contact Form

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Check out this new Op-ED at Ms. Magazine by NAMEN Member Rob Okun

Gender Belongs at Center of the Gun Debate