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November is a month that gets the undivided attention of Michael Kaufman. The 63-year-old has dedicated half of his life to changing how men think of masculinity to end violence against women — and themselves. The UN has designated Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence …

Michael Kaufman has been working on ways to stop men and boys from perpetrating violence against women and girls, but he wants people to know that men are not monsters. “Most men in most countries don’t use violence, but a significant minority does,” he said earlier this month in a …

On a recent sunny Sunday at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Jakarta, five men in miniskirts displayed posters condemning violence against women. One of the posters read, “Real Men Don’t Rape”, while another said, “Let’s unite to fight against rape”. Syaldi Sahude, one of three national coordinators for The …

Defending women against violence is personal for Gery Paulandika, a 27-year-old graphic designer. “I grew up watching my father assault my mother,” he said on the sidelines of a children’s drawing event at the Women’s Festival — part of the One Billion Rising campaign — in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on …

Violence against women in the home is extremely prevalent, especially in rural communities in Indonesia. Many women are unaware that the treatment they receive from their husbands is illegal. What’s more, traditions and some religious beliefs re-enforce existing inequality between men and women, especially in rural communities, which makes it …

Women’s fight for gender equality gets a boost from a group of men who believe that gender discrimination brings disadvantages to both sexes. Twenty-nine-year-old Dedi Setiawan believes gender equality is an issue relevant to men as much as it is to women. “I feel that the burden the man has …

A men’s organization advocating gender equality was launched in Jakarta on Thursday, giving women an unlikely ally in the battle against male dominance. The New Men Alliance (LLB) aims to promote awareness of women’s rights among Indonesian men, according to the group’s chairman, Nurhasyim. He said the group had around …

As strong patriarchal sentiment has been a primary cause of violence against women, activists have tried to help abusive men in counseling groups designed to encourage people to speak their emotions instead of physically acting upon them. Nur Hasyim, an activist from the Rifka Annisa Women Crisis Center (WCC) in …

An online competition aiming at eradicating violence against women will end today but it continues to receive responses especially on its Facebook account composed of 1,258 members so far. The Dimulai dari Saya! (It Starts with Me) competition is conducted by United Nations Indonesia and urges all participants, especially men, …

An nongovernmental organization in Yogyakarta is developing a counseling program to serve as an alternative to settling domestic abuse cases in court, as the group says raising awareness was more likely to reduce domestic violence. Nur Hasyim, the media, research and training manager at Rifka Annisa, said 90 percent of …