Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

No one should suffer unfair treatment because of their gender. Every year International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the important work going on every day across Government to do this.

Gender equality is a top development priority, and a top priority for the UK – but it will not be achieved without engaging men and boys. Too often men and boys are invisible in work towards gender equality, or portrayed as perpetrators, when they can be powerful advocates for positive change and survivors of violence themselves.

DFID recognises that harmful social norms are the root cause of many of the challenges faced by girls and women, boys and men. In Pakistan, DFID programming saw levels of corporal punishment experienced by boys decrease by 26%. There were also improvements in gender-equitable attitudes and depression, and reduced reports of witnessing domestic violence.