MenEngage Europe (MEE) is one of six regional networks within the MenEngage Global Alliance. The MEE network brings together more than 100 European members across 33 countries, with a focus on men and boys to achieve gender justice. In doing so, MEE is offering a space and platform for organisations, experts, activists and practitioners from Georgia in the East, to Ireland in the West, Finland in the north to Turkey in the South to exchange, strengthen each other and build links and collaborations across borders.
As a European network, we are unique in providing a feminist/profeminist platform for networking, capacity development, and advocacy on issues relating to working with men and boys on gender equality. The network works across borders and cultures in Europe to support boys and men to reflect on how their ways of being men influence their wellbeing and the people around them.
MenEngage Europe works to transform masculinities by addressing a variety of topics relevant to the lives and experiences of men and boys and exploring the links between them. For example, how to involve men and boys in sharing parenthood and caregiving, tackling all forms of violence, shifting limiting/damaging norms of gender and masculinity, addressing structural inequalities, and challenging homophobia and transphobia.
MenEngage’s members work collectively and individually toward advancing gender justice, human rights, and social justice to achieve a world in which all can enjoy healthy, fulfilling and equitable relationships and their full potential. The thematic scope of MenEngage covers a wide range of relevant issues (including fatherhood and caring; violence against women and children; rights of marginalised groups, challenging anti-gender backlash, challenging homo- and transphobia, anti-racism and decolonization and addressing structural gender inequalities). Our work on engaging men and boys stems from the pioneering work and ongoing leadership of women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights movements, and we commit to working as allies, in collaboration with and support of their efforts for gender equality.
MenEngage Europe is a pan-European network and thus we define the European region in a broad sense where we include all EU members states, the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership region, Turkey and those countries who are not part of the EU but part of the European continent, such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland. The network welcomes both organisational and individual members.
MenEngage Europe was formed in 2009 and has since then seen a steady development both in the number of members and scope of activities. The network is governed by a Steering Committee, under the leadership of two co-coordinators, elected through a democratic process at its members’ meeting. Since 2020, MenEngage Europe has had a regional secretariat based in Sweden and hosted by the Swedish organization MÄN.