“Boys and Men As Allies in Violence Prevention and Gender Transformation in the Western Balkans

Home , Pristina

“Boys and Men as Allies in Violence Prevention and Gender Transformation in the Western Balkans – Young Men Initiative (YMI)”

BASELINE ASSESEMENT REPORT

July 2015

CONTENT

BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH

Project objectives

Purpose of the Baseline Evaluation

METHOD

Participants

Instruments and procedures

RESULTS

Gender roles and attitudes

Young men's health

Social activities and social support Violence

Emotional relationships

Community experiences

Correlations between phenomena in the research

CONCLUSIONS

BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH

CARE‟s mission in the Balkan region is to contribute to post-war recovery and the socio- economic development of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. CARE in the Balkans consists of offices in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Belgrade, Serbia and Pristina, Kosovo. CARE in the Balkans places the quality of its programs at the center of its operation and mission and has developed a regional strategy that encompasses two main program directions: Gender Equality and Social and Economic Inclusion. The goal of the Social and Economic Inclusion Program is to strengthen capacities and create opportunities for marginalized, socially excluded and poor communities to integrate into society and access rights. CARE‟s Gender Equality Program aims to empower women and girls vulnerable to violence, discrimination and poverty to reach better life opportunities and social justice.

The Boys and Men as Allies in Violence Prevention and Gender Transformation in the Western Balkans or Young Men Initiative (YMI) project builds upon CARE´s comprehensive and programmatic efforts to fight interpersonal and gender based violence (GBV) as well as to improve gender equality in the region. The YMI project, implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, targets young men to develop their knowledge and attitudes concerning gender equality and healthy lifestyles and decrease levels of GBV. The Gender Transformative Life Skills program (Program M) is at the heart of this endeavor. The current project aims to scale up and mainstream earlier achievements related to the implementation of Program M via targeted advocacy and close collaboration with Ministries of Education, State gender agencies, academic institutions, secondary schools, educators, the media and other stakeholders. One of the main objectives of the project is to introduce Program M into national educational curricula and obtain official accreditation for teacher training. To enhance this process, CARE is implementing Program M in selected secondary vocational schools in the region in cooperation with teachers. To reach educators in the early stages of their careers, the project is also targeting teacher trainee students at universities.

CARE´s local partner organisations are increasingly recognized as key players by public stakeholders in the field of male engagement, youth work and gender equality. Supported by the project, the partners implement campaigns targeting youth while also reaching out to fathers, male care givers, coaches and other male role models. Exposure to these campaigns

can improve receipients' knowledge and attitudes on gender equality and parenting and equip men to fight against gender based violence in families.

Project objectives

The overall project objective is to improve gender equality and decrease interpersonal and gender based violence within Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo. The project's purpose is to increase the uptake of healthy, non-violent and gender equitable lifestyles amongst boys and men (and girls and women) participating in the program. This will be achieved through 3 interrelated results:

1. Gender Transformative Life Skills program (Program M) adopted, accredited and teachers trained by Ministry of Education for use in secondary schools; 2. Lifestyle and social norms campaigns to engage boys and men on issues of violence prevention, gender equality and fatherhood are developed and reach the targeted audience; 3. Local NGO partners act as national resource centres and promote practice, policy and research work engaging boys and men.

Purpose of the Baseline Evaluation

The baseline assessment was carried out to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the attitudes on gender based violence, gender equality, and healthy lifestyles amongst boys and men (and girls and women), fathers, teachers and teacher trainees who are participating in the program within Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo. We assessed the main aspects of the project activities by measuring the changes in attitudes, knowledge level and behaviors of the target groups. We conducted a baseline assessment with the stated target groups to assess how they feel, think and how much they know about the topics that we address through our work. A self-administered survey was the main evaluation tool. The key research questions underlying the evaluation are: 1. What are the views of young men regarding gender roles and attitudes?

2. What are young men‟s health behaviours, including alcohol consumption, smoking and substance abuse? 3. What is the experience of young men with violence, including experienced and perpetrated violence? 4. What are young men‟s experiences with romantic relationships, sexuality, contraception and violence in a relationship? 5. Are there any other mediating factors (e.g., social support networks, family social- economic status, etc.) that also influence the attitudes and behaviours of young men and women? 6. What is the awareness of campaigns and/or programs about violence, homophobia and sexual and reproductive health?

METHOD

In order to obtain detailed input from young men in a cost-efficient way, we used a self- administered questionnaire with young men in intervention sites at the baseline. At a later point in the project, the same type of activity will be conducted (the endline assessment, with the endline assessment report as a result) showing us clearly what type of changes, with what target group(s), at what locations and to what extent we have managed to influence knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as a result of the work of our partners and the CARE team.

We conducted self-administered surveys in intervention sites amongst all target goups before our partners began interventions so that a comparison could be made at a later point. The survey was conducted collaboratively between CARE, local partners NGOs and the consultant. Local partners NGOs secured permissions to enter the schools and collect questionnaires. The leading coordination role was done by the CARE project manager.

In this draft report we present our methods and the results of the research with the young men, as research with other target groups is not yet completed. They will be included in the final report.

Participants

Research participants were similar across all four locations (Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgrade in Serbia, Pristina in Kosovo, and Tirana in Albania) in terms of age and other demographic characteristics. All examinees were young men aged 15-18 years. Most were in the first or second year of enrolment in their secondary school. Student discontinuation rates are low in the Balkans, and it is expected that the large majority of students will remain in school throughout the implementation of YMI and the evaluation. Most schools draw their students from surrounding communities, which are largely homogenous in terms of ethnic or religious identity. The following number of young men participated in this research: 469 from Banja Luka, 206 from Belgrade, 529 from Pristina and 638 from Tirana. Overall, 1,842 young men took part in this research.

The following tables presents the distribution of participants‟ characteristics across the four study sites.

Table 1: Age of young men from Banja Luka, Belgrade, Pristina and Tirana

Banja Luka Belgrade Pristina Tirana Years N % N % N % N % 14 13 2,8 - - 20 3,8 2 ,3 15 177 37,7 - - 242 45,7 143 22,4 16 225 48,0 114 55,3 190 35,9 235 36,8 17 38 8,1 92 44,7 47 8,9 126 19,7 18 1 ,2 - - 4 ,8 16 2,5 19 - - - - 1 ,2 2 ,3 Missing 15 3,2 - - 25 4,7 114 17,9 Total 469 100,0 206 100,0 529 100,0 638 100,0

Table 2: Parent‟s level of education, young men

Banja Luka Pristina Tirana Education Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers Less than high school 28,2 20,3 37,3 18,4 25,1 25,5 Finished high school 58,2 62,4 31,2 37,1 51,9 43,4 Some higher education 11,0 14,5 23,7 38,8 19,8 26,3 Don‟t know 2,6 2,6 7,9 5,6 3,1 5,0 Total 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0

Based on the two tables above, we can conclude that young men share some similar characteristics related to their age and their parents‟ education. Table 1 shows that the greatest number of young men in all four cities are 16 years old. Fifteen year olds were the second largest group of respondents, followed by 17 year olds. The number of young men and young women older than 17 or younger than 15 is low.

Table 2 shows parents‟ level of education for young men from Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana (no data for Belgrade). The majority of parents have finished high school, followed by those who completed some higher education. The lowest number is those parents who did not

complete high school. We can see from these results that in all three cities fathers have a higher level of education than mothers.

Instruments and procedures

The survey included sections on background characteristics (e.g. age, ethnicity, parents‟ education levels, etc.), attitudes and behaviors related to gender norms (e.g., household roles), sexual behavior (e.g., decision-making on contraceptive use or timing of sexual activity), health seeking behaviors (e.g., seeking treatment of STIs) and violence (e.g., participation in peer violence).

The decision was made to use self-administered surveys, rather than interviewer-administered surveys, in order to collect personal and sensitive information from a large number of young men in multiple school settings. The questionnaire had been developed in an earlier phase of the YMI project. The survey was pre-tested in all sites and adjustments were made accordingly prior to administering the baseline. Given the low amount of missing data on the completed baseline surveys (on average, questions were answered by 95% of the young men surveyed), the self-administered questionnaire successfully met the needs of this study. The data collectors shared that while filling out the surveys the young men were quiet and comfortable asking questions. In only a few instances did the data collectors reported some participants being disruptive. There were no reports of young men treating the survey as a test or noteworthy problems with the survey administration procedures. All research subjects gave their consent to participate.

The questionnaire was divided into several sections in order to gather information for the evaluation as well as to establish a baseline understanding of the young men‟s lives. The sections were as follows:

. Section 1 – General background information: including questions about family, home, demographics, socioeconomics; . Section 2 – Views about men and women: including the 17 main items from the GEM scale . Section 3 – Life experiences: including questions about experienced and perpetrated violence, mental health, health-seeking behaviors, smoking, alcohol and substance use; 8

. Section 4 – Social networks and social support . Section 5 – Experience in relationships, gender based violence, sexual experiences, contraception . Section 8 – Awareness of campaigns and/or programs about violence, homophobia, and sexual and reproductive health.

To assess the young men‟s views about men and women, the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) scale items were used. The GEM scale is a widely used and tested instrument that has shown tremendous reliability in assessing to what degree men and women “buy into” or support an inequitable view or a more equitable view of male-female relations. The scale has been validated in more than 10 countries and has been shown to be associated with a number of key behavioral outcomes, including condom use, violence against female partners and alcohol use. The items range from statements about the roles of men and women in the home, in relationships, and the acceptability of violence against women to attitudes towards homosexuality. The survey instrument included the 17 main items for the GEM scale. Instruments for young men in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana were identical. The questionnaire in Belgrade was different, as it had to be adapted to the requirements of the participating educational institutions. The research areas were the same as those from other cities, but the questionnaire contained fewer questions, and most of them were differently worded. The plan is to repeat this evaluation during and after the program implementation.

RESULTS

The results will be presented by areas of research. In this draft report, we will only present the results of research with the young men, because research with other target groups is not yet completed. They will be included in the final report. We have already mentioned that the questionnaire used in Belgrade was different from the questionnaires used in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana. Therefore, for most research areas, we will present results from Belgrade separately from these other cities. During the analysis of the results of the research, we did not carry out comparison between young men from different cities. These cities, drawn from several countries, are in quite different contexts, and we do not think it is appropriate to compare the results.

Gender roles and attitudes

Graph 1: Participation of young men in household duties, once or more in the last 3 months (Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

Results show that, in the last three months, the majority of young men from all three cities were involved in household repairs (around 67%), while only a small percentage of them were involved in washing their clothes (10-22%). Around half of them were involved in cooking, cleaning the house and taking care of younger members of the family.

In Banja Luka, Priština and Tirana, we did not find a significant correlation between housework participation in regard to young men‟s age, gender attitudes or parents‟ education level.

Table 3: Gender attitudes of young men (% of disagrees with the following statements from GEM scale) BL Belgrade Priština Tirana

A woman‟s most important role is to take care of 9,8 25,5 12,5 15,4 her home and cook for her family.

Changing diapers, giving kids a bath, and feeding 11,4 27,7 15,5 15,0 the kids are the mother‟s responsibility.

A man should have the final word about decisions 14,6 33,5 19,9 27,7 in the home.

It is okay for men to cry and show their emotions in 26,3 23,5 39,9 47,2 front of others.*

The most important quality for a man is physical 28,5 48,3 35,3 35,2 strength and power.

If a woman cheats on a man, it is justified for him 66,5 77,4 62,1 60,0 to hit her.

A woman should tolerate violence in order to keep 73,5 79,9 58,8 47,2 her family together. A single slap is a type of violence 20,1 18,5 23,2 32,6

Verbal insults are a type of violence. 15,3 17,5 21,1 14,4

It is acceptable if parents beat their children when 23,9 30,7 32,4 55,1 they don‟t behave well.

It is okay for a man to hit his wife if she will not 81 86,1 83,7 86,4 (does not want to) have sex with him.

It is both a man and a woman‟s responsibility to 21,7 8,0 20,3 20,6 prevent pregnancy.*

When a woman is sexually harassed, it is 19,2 28,7 19,8 22,3 commonly because of how she dresses. I would never have a gay friend. 21,4 26,2 20,7 21

I would be ashamed if I had a homosexual son. 8,1 11,5 13,5 14,7

The majority of young men in all four cities consider caring for children and completing household chores to be a woman's responsibility. Only 10-15% of respondents from Banja Luka, Priština and Tirana did not agree with this statement. Young men from Belgrade hold fewer stereotypes in this area. Similarly, only 14-18% of young men from the three cities do not agree with the claim that men should make the final decision in the house. Young men from Belgrade are more open to ''democratic ''decisions (35% disagree). Between 23.5-47% of young men disagreed with the statement that men could show emotions in public; the remaining respondents supported open displays of emotion. Despite this, only 28-48% of young men do not agree with the claim that physical prowess is the most important quality for men, while the others support this claim (again, young men from Belgrade were more likely to disagree with the stereotypical statement).

As far as attitudes regarding violence go, the results are troubling. If we analyze these claims, we can see that 34-40% of young men have, in some kind of way, positive attitudes towards violence against women, and they see violence as a legitimate method for accomplishing their goals. Around 14-32% of young men have a flawed perception of violence, stating that an occasional punch or verbal threat does not count as violence. One quarter of young men from Banja Luka, one third from Belgrade and Priština and half from Tirana are opposed to parents' physical punishment of children. Young men's willingness to use violence is manifested even in the sphere of sexuality. Around 81-86% do not support violence when a wife refuses sexual intercourse with her husband, while the others partially support it. Only 19-28.7% of young men disagreed with the statement that sexual harassment is related to a woman‟s style of

dress; the remaining respondents attributed sexual harassment to a woman‟s choice of clothing.

Between 21-26% of young men show a certain level of tolerance and openness towards homosexuals. The others display animosity towards these individuals. Hypothetically, it would be difficult for them if a member of their family was homosexual.

Unequal gender attitudes are more common among senior young men (in Belgrade r=0,167; p=0,025; in Banja Luka r=0,120; p=0,019). In Priština, the opposite is true; unequal gender attitudes are more common in younger subjects (r= - 0,130; p=0,006).

We also determined a connection in Banja Luka and Priština between young men‟s unequal gender attitudes and: their mothers‟ lower education level (in Banja Luka r= - 0,154; p=0, 02; in Priština r= - 0,122; p=0,008) and their fathers‟ education level (r=-0,149; p=0, 04).

Unequal gender attitudes are correlated with violence against women I some cities (in Banja Luka r=0,129; p=0,016; in Belgrade r=0,210; p=0,005). In Priština and Tirana, we did not find any significant correlation between these variables.

We found a correlation between unequal gender attitudes and young men‟s past violence exposure (in Banja Luka r=0,121, p=0,022; in Priština r=0,123; p=0,009).

In Belgrade, we found a significant correlation between unequal gender attitudes and alcohol consumption (r=0,338; p=0,000), while that correlation was not found in Priština or Banja Luka.

One interesting result was that we did not find any significant correlation between young men‟s unequal gender attitudes from Tirana and other researched phenomenon.

Young men's health

Table 4: Emotional states and thoughts (sometimes or often)

BL Belgrade Priština Tirana

Sadness, disappointment, or frustration 85,1 71,1 78,8 74,7

Stress or anxiety 71,3 68,7 62,6 74,5

Depression, for example feeling very low 24,4 30,4 39,3 23,5 for several weeks at a time Suicidal thoughts 10,5 9,4 5,4 7,6

As far as emotional states are concerned, 71-85% of young men experienced feelings of sadness, disappointment or frustration, while 23- 39% of them experienced depression. Most troubling is the large percentage (39.3%) of young men from Priština who reported depression. Suicidal thoughts were reported by 10.5 % of young men from Banja Luka, 9.4% from Belgrade, 5.4% from Priština and 7.6% from Tirana.

Graph 2: When you feel very sad or depressed, whom would you seek help from first?

(in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

If they feel down or depressed, young men mainly seek support from their mothers (24-28%) or both parents equally (24-34%). We can see that a much larger portion of them choose mothers over fathers. Besides parents, young men may seek support from friends, girlfriends and siblings. As far as friends go, additional analysis showed that most young men have two or three friends with whom they can talk about their problems.

Table 5: Experiences with alcohol

BL Belgrade Priština Tirana

Drinking alcohol (least once a month 69 60,9 22,7 54,5 or more)

In the past three months, had six (6) or 42,9 42,3 11,6 26,3 more drinks

In this table, we can see the frequency by which young men drank alcohol and became intoxicated. Although we did not compared cities in this chart, it is clearly visible that young men from Banja Luka and Belgrade consumed alcohol on a much higher scale. 60-69% of them drink at least once a month, while around 42% of them binge drank (6 or more drinks in one night) in the last three months. 54.5% of young men from Tirana drank alcohol, while 22.7% of young men from Priština did the same. In the last three months, 26.3% of young men from Tirana and 11.6% of young men from Priština reported binge drinking.

In Banja Luka, Belgrade and Tirana we found a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the age of the respondents. In the last three months, senior young men were drinking significantly more than those who were younger (in Banja Luka r=0,190; p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,265; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,229; p=0,000). In Priština, we did not find any significant correlation between alcohol and age.

Alcohol consumption in Banja Luka and Pristina is slightly correlated with mothers‟ higher educational level (in Banja Luka r=0,168; p=0,000; in Priština r=0,091; p=0,040).

There is a link between alcohol consumption and violence exposure during childhood (in Banja Luka r=0,217; p=0,000; in Priština r=0,237; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,204; p=0,000).

Table 6: Experiences with drugs in the last 3 months (once or more)

How often they used any of the following drugs BL Belgrade Priština Tirana (once or more, in last 3 months)

Marijuana 5,7 11,2 2,3 5,6

Thinner, glue, or inhalant 0,6 2,4 1,2 0,8

Amphetamines (ecstasy or speed) 0,7 4,4 0,4 1,6

Hallucinogens (LSD, mushrooms, acid) 0,6 3,3 0,4 1,3

Heroin 1 4,9 0,4 1,5

Other 1 1,0 4,4 0,4

As for drug use, in all four cities, marijuana is the most commonly used narcotic. The highest percentage of youth who have used marijuana in the last three months comes from Belgrade (11.2%). 5.7% of young men from Tirana and Banja Luka tried marijuana at least once in the last three months, while 2.3% of young men from Priština did the same. Other drugs are also used more commonly in Belgrade. It is worrisome that almost 5% of boys in Belgrade have tried heroin.

Social activities and social support

Table 7 : Participation of young men in social activities in Banja Luka, Pristina, Tirana

With whom do Banja Luka Priština Tirana you most often do Don't Alone With Don't Alone With Don't do Alone With these activities? do other do others others Play sports 12,9 21,2 65,8s 2,1 2,5 95,4 4,3 9,1 86,6

Play videogames 23,3 27,2 49,6 6,6 13,3 81,1 4,7 11,1 84,2

Paint or play 70,4 16,8 12,7 40,6 42,3 17,1 37,8 46,6 15,6 music Go to the cinema 26,2 4,9 68,8 35,4 2,1 62,5 24,9 2,4 72,7

Hang out in a café 26,1 4,1 69,8 45,5 1 53,5 12,0 1,8 86,2

Participate in 41,5 18,3 40,2 16,0 18,3 65,7 57,7 11,9 30,4 religious act. Volunteering 70,2 8,7 21,1 37,7 11,9 50,4 68,9 8,8 21,3

If we look at the table above, we can see what kind of activities young men were involved in and if they did these activities by themselves or with other people (friends or family). In all three cities, volunteering, artistic endeavors (painting, musical instruments) and religious services were the least commonly reported activities. The majority of young men reported engaging in a sport, going to a café, playing video games, or going to the cinema. They conduct these activities in a group, especially if these activities bear group characteristics. Some activities were conducted alone due to the nature of those activities (guitar playing or playing video games). Based on this data, we can conclude that most young men are involved in different kinds of social activities. Some of these activities are useful and creative (sport, for example) while the others, like often spending a time in cafés, not so. Some differences are noticeable among cities. Young men from Priština are more engaged in volunteering and religious activities, and they don‟t visit cafés often. Young men from Tirana are more involved in artistic activities then other young men.

Graph 3 : How often young men (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

check internet or chat online

Nearly all the surveyed young men from Tirana and Priština (above 97%) used internet more than once a month. In Banja Luka, a slightly higher percentage of young men (10%) do not use internet. Internet is commonly accessed through a computer or phones and rarely by other means.

Table 8: Involvement of young men from Belgrade in different activities

(in last 12 months)

Activitty %

Sport club/team 61,8

Music/dance club/Music band 15,7

Religious youth group 4,8

Youth organization or club 19,8

Paid job 25,5

Volunteer activities 26,3

In this table, we can see that the largest percentage of young men from Belgrade (61%) are involved in sport activities. Around one quarter were volunteers or worked for money, and close to 20% were involved in work with a youth organisation or club. The least common activity was work with a religious youth group (4.8%).

Violence

Table 9: Young men's experiences with violence in the past (sometimes or often)

BL Belgrade Priština Tirana

I have seen or heard my mother being beaten by 4,5 9,0 3,1 4,3 her husband

I have been spanked or slapped by my parents or 32,4 20,6 38,9 31,6 adults in the home.

I have been beaten or physically punished at 3,4 5,0 12,3 12,9 school by a teacher Someone has touched my buttocks or genitals in a

sexual way, or made me touch them on the 10 5,5 6 4,2 genitals in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

Someone has forced me to have sexual 4,0 2,5 3,9 2,7 intercourse with them.

The data above shows young men‟s experiences witnessing and enduring violence in the past. Around 3-9 % of them witnessed their father be physically violent toward their mother. Yet again, the results point to the existence of physical punishments by parents, with 20-39% of respondents reporting experiencing this. A smaller percentage (3-13%) of young men reported being molested at school, but even that percentage is simply unallowable. Between 4-10% of young men have had some kind of unpleasant sexual experience. Between 2,5-4% of 20

respondents were forced to have sexual intercourse. With regret, based on the questions from the questionnaire, we could not establish if the offenders were older than the respondents or their peers.

Table 10: Violent behavior of young men ( in last 3 months)

Types of violence BL Belgrade Priština Tirana

You humiliated another young man or boy, 6,2 53,0 6,4 10,3 making him feel stupid or inferior

You kicked, punched, or beat another young 11,9 45,0 14,4 16,9 man or boy

You participated in a fight as a part of a 7,2 20,7 6,2 6,9 group or gang

You hit or beat someone you thought was 4,1 12,6 1,3 4,4 gay or overly feminine

In this table we see that young men in Belgrade were much more involved in violent behaviors compared to those in Banja Luka, Pristina, and Tirana. 53% perpetrated psychological violence and 45% carried out physical violence. About 21% were involved in group violence, while 12.6% were violent towards an effeminate or gay person.

In other cities the results are much lower and more similar. Around 6.2-10.3% of young men performed and participated in psychological violence in the last three months. It is interesting that reports of physical violence were higher than reports of psychological violence. 12-17% of young men punched or hit other young men. Around 7% of them participated in a group fight, while 4.4% of them molested other young men whom they considered to be feminine or gay.

Young men‟s violent behavior is significantly correlated with past violence exposure (in Banja Luka r=0,305; p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,355, p=0,000; in Priština r=0,281; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,250; p=0,000).

We also found significant correlation between violent behavior and alcohol consummation, in all cities (in Banja Luka r=0,388; p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,359, p=0,000; in Priština r=0,237; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,354; p=0,000).

In some of the cities, violent behavior is correlated with unequal gender attitudes (Belgrade r=0,202; p=0,007; Priština r=0,191; p=0,000). We did not find a significant correlation between these variables in Banja Luka or Tirana.

We found a connection between young men‟s violent behavior and their parents‟ education level. In Banja Luka and Priština, young men‟s violent behavior is correlated with their mothers‟ higher educational level (in Banja Luka r=0,138, p=0,004; in Priština r=0,090, p=0,048; in Tirana r=0,097, p=0,029). We did not find any differences in violence when we considered the subjects‟ age in Banja Luka, Belgrade, Priština or Tirana.

Graph 4: Importance of men's honor and violence (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

We tried to learn more about violence through the feelings that young men had towards “men‟s honor”, that is, to what measure young men were ready to defend their reputation and image through violent behavior. The results are alike in all three cities. Around 12-20% of

young men would have fought if someone offended a family member, while 36-41% would do the same if their friends were fighting.

Graph 5 : How often they stopped a physical fight involving their friend(s) and helped them resolve the problem peacefully, in last 3 months (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

From this chart, we can see that only a small percentage of young men participated in stopping a fight in the last three months. 8% of young men from Tirana reported this behavior, while 3% of young men from Banja Luka and Priština followed their example.

Table 11: Reactions of young men to violence against young women (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

What would you do if you saw your friend BL Priština Tirana fight with, hit, or slap his girlfriend?

Try to stop the fight 79,9 85,3 77,5

Join my friend in fighting with his 2,8 1,2 5,1 girlfriend

Defend his girlfriend 14,5 7,3 9,9

Call for help 1,1 2,4 1,3

Do nothing 1,7 3,9 6,2

Total 100,0 100,0 100,0

We asked participants how they would react if one of their friends was molesting his girlfriend.77-85% of them would try to stop the violence from happening, while 10-14% of them would protect the girlfriend at all cost.

Table 12: Reactions to violence toward another young man

(in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

What would you do if you saw your friend BL Priština Tirana fight with or hit another young man or boy?

Try to stop the fight 72,5 66,1 58,5

Join the fight and help my friend 14,4 29,8 37,3

Call for help 5,2 2,5 2,1

Do nothing 7,9 1,6 2,1

Total 100,0 100,0 100,0

In regards to situations where their friend is fighting someone else, 58-72% of young men would try to stop the violence. Besides this option, a significant percentage of young men (14- 37%) would help the friend and join the fight.

Emotional relationships

Graph 6: Emotional relationships of young men (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

Baseline data shows that 31.9%-50.2% of young men currently have a girlfriend. A much larger percentage (69.6-84.9%) have had a girlfriend during the course of their life.

Table 13: Experiences with gender based violence

Have you done any of the following BL Belgrade Priština Tirana things?

You insulted your girlfriend or ex- 7,4 14,0 9,1 21,9 girlfriend

You kicked your girlfriend or ex- 0,2 4,5 0,2 3,8 girlfriend

You had sex with your girlfriend or ex- girlfriend when you knew she didn‟t 17,2 7,0 1,6 9,0 want to

Psychological violence, manifest through verbal abuse of a girlfriend, was reported by 14% of young men in Belgrade, 7.4% of young men in Banja Luka, 9.1% in Priština and 21.9% in Tirana. Physical abuse of a girlfriend was reported by a smaller percentage of young men (up to 4.5%). 17,2% of young men from Banja Luka, 7% from Belgrade, 9% from Tirana and 1,6% from Priština stated that they had had sexual intercourse with their girlfriend without her consent.

Violence against women is significantly correlated with past violence exposure (in Banja Luka r=0,290, p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,799; p=0,000; in Priština r=0,183; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,151; p=0,001).

We also found a connection between gender based violence and alcohol consummation (in Banja Luka r=0,348; p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,305; p=0,000; in Priština r=0,202; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,344; p=0,000).

Violence against women is correlated with unequal gender attitudes in some of the cities (in Banja Luka r=0,129; p=0,016; in Belgrade r=0,210; p=0,005). We did not find a significant correlation regarding this subject in Tirana and Priština.

Violence against women is significantly correlated with violence in general (in Banja Luka r=0,243; p=0,000; in Belgrade r=0,381; p=0,000; in Priština r=0,316; p=0,000; in Tirana r=0,354; p=0,000).

Community experiences

Graph 7: Exposure to campaigns (in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana)

As far as campaign awareness is concerned, more young men had heard about violence against women campaigns than campaigns about bullying or violence among peers. The percentage who were aware of these campaigns varied from 41-68%. Young men were least informed about homophobia campaigns (19-29% of them were informed about this).

CONCLUSIONS

Gender roles and attitudes

The research has shown that young men are partially involved in house work. In accordance with the stereotypical division of roles, they are mostly involved in different repairs around the house (around 67%), and the least involved in laundry (10-22%). Around half of them are occasionally involved in other things such as cooking, cleaning, etc. While the results show the ongoing presence of stereotypical gender roles, they are also promising. Significant numbers of young men are involved in different household tasks, which gives hope for an equal division of obligations in the family in the future. When it comes to gender attitudes, some of them are disappointing. The great majority of young men have stereotypical attitudes on the gender roles of men and women. Young men feel that men should dominate in a relationship and that the main role of a woman is linked with children and work in the house. In accordance with expectations and previous research, a significant number of young men display intolerance towards homosexuals. If we analyse attitudes about gender based violence, we can see that 34-40% of young men have, in some way, positive attitudes towards violence against women, and that they see violence as a legitimate method for accomplishing their goals. The incorrect perception that a slap in the face or verbal insult is not violence only contributes to this pattern. It is very important to work in the future with youth in discrediting traditional gender stereotypes that are often an entryway to domestic violence or violence in intimate relationships. Social norms and expectations create social pressure where young men, eager to prove their masculinity, strength and power in public, often carry out completely absurd or risky behaviour. If this conditioned reaction is explained to them in a workshop setting, it is very possible that, due to the need for independence and authenticity, they would embrace healthier lifestyles.

Young Men’s Health

About 69-85% of respondents have dark periods of sadness or anxiety, and 23-39% sometimes feel depressed. This percentage is a bit higher than general estimates around the world, which state that around 20% of people have issues with depression. Young men usually get support from their mothers or close relatives. It appears that fathers could and 28

should participate more in emotional support for their children. This result is in accordance with previously identified problems related to traditional gender norms and roles. These results can contribute to programs and campaigns that encourage a more active role for fathers.

When it comes to the use of alcohol, the majority of young men from Banja Luka, Tirana and Belgrade drink (54%-69%), while this practice is less common in Pristina (22.7%). These results are in accordance with previous research that shows that over 50% of young men drink alcohol. It appears to be that the use of alcohol is almost a regular phase of growing-up and one of the „entrance tickets‟ into the world of adults. This is also linked with some peers‟, and generally male, norms. It is unrealistic to expect that programs would completely convince young men not to drink alcohol, but it is important to reduce this behaviour to a lower or reasonable level. The trend of young people drinking „strong‟ alcoholic drinks is not contributing to this effort.

Social activities and social support The majority of young men participate in some kind of sport activity, go to cafés, play video games or go to the cinema. They conduct these activities in group sessions, especially if these activities bear group characteristics. We can conclude that some activities are useful and creative (e.g. sport), while some others, like hanging out in bars, could be less useful.

Violence

Young men were partially exposed to violent events in the past. 3- 9% of them were witnesses to domestic violence, and 20-39% were physically punished by their parents. Sexual harassment was reported by 4-10 % of young men.

When it comes to committed violence, the results in Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana are not that bad. In the last three months, 6.2-10.3% of young men committed psychological violence and 12-17% perpetrated physical violence. However, the results from Belgrade are much worse and worrying. Violence can be linked with defending „men‟s honour‟. A significant number of young men engaged in physical violence in order to support a peer. It is promising that most of the young men said that, in situations where their friend is fighting someone else,

they would try to stop the violence. Prevention of violence, especially in Belgrade, shows the need for concrete programs and more intense analyses of context in order to answer the question: why is the violence occurring and what factors can we realistically and efficiently influence?

Emotional relationships and gender based violence

Most of the young men (69.6-84.9%) have had a girlfriend during the course of their life. Currently, 30.5% have a girlfriend. When it comes to violence towards a partner, violence in Pristana is much lower than in the other cities. Different types of violence, which are worrying, are present in other cities. Psychological violence toward young women was confirmed by 17% of young men from Belgrade and 22% from Tirana. Sexual intercourse without the consent of a girlfriend was reported by 17.2% of young men from Banja Luka. The essence of this problem could be the norms that embrace greater sexual freedoms and rights to men, which can sometimes transfer to sexual violence. It is necessary to work on sexual education for young people in order to prevent sexual violence and possible unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmittable diseases. This proposal is backed up by the data on awareness of sexual and reproductive health campaigns, which shows a low level of campaign knowledge among respondents.

Correlations between phenomena in the research

When it comes to unequal gender attitudes and other phenomena, there are no consistent trends in all of the cities. In Banja Luka and Priština, we found a connection with lower education of the young men‟s mothers and past violence exposure, while the relations with other phenomena are different throughout the cities in question.

Young men‟s violent behavior is significantly correlated with past violence exposure and with alcohol consumption. In some cities, we found that violence is connected to unequal gender attitudes (in Belgrade and in Priština), and higher educational level of the young men‟s mothers (in Banja Luka, Priština and Tirana).

Violence against women in all cities is significantly correlated with violence in general, past violence exposure and alcohol consumption. In some of the cities, we found a connection with unequal gender attitudes (in Banja Luka and Belgrade).

In the majority of cities we found a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and young men‟s age and greater violence exposure. In Banja Luka and Priština, alcohol consumption was slightly correlated with higher educational level of the young men‟s mothers.

Based on this data, we can conclude that exposure to violence, violent behavior and alcohol consumption are similar and go hand in hand and spur or encourage one another. The results point to the tendency that involvement, that is to say absence of mothers in young men‟s education processes, can be an important factor for young men‟s development.

Specific priorities in cities

Attitudes and behaviour related to gender norms were identified as a problem in all cities. These relate to stereotypical gender roles such as the domination of men in sexual relations, decision making within a family, participation in family obligations and relations towards homosexuals. From 71 to 85% of young men in these cities are confronted with periods of sadness, disappointment and anxiety. In these cities, the father is not as supportive to his children as he should be. A positive thing for all these cities is that they would participate in preventing violence in their surroundings, if that would happen. About 58% -85% of young men confirmed, they would attempt to try to stop the violence in their environments.Young men from Banja Luka, Pristina and Tirana were not heavily involved in violence toward young woman or in the use of narcotics. Some specific characteristics have been identified for each of these cities.

Young men in Banja Luka show significantly greater affiliation for drinking alcohol than young men from Pristina or Tirana. Young men from Banja Luka participate significantly less in some art activities (music or painting). Quite a high percentage of young men in Banja Luka (17%) claim to have had sex with young women who did not want to have sex.

Young men in Belgrade show a significantly higher affiliation for drinking alcohol then young men from Pristina or Tirana. Use of marijuana is also much higher than in other cities. 31

Young men from Belgrade performed different kinds of violence at significantly higher rates when compared to young men from other cities.

In Pristina, 39% of young men reported that they face periodic depression. Another unique characteristic of young men from Pristina is that they are significantly more likely to participate in volunteer and religious activities.

A significant percentage of young men from Tirana (22%) reported committing psychological violence against young women, and 9% claimed to have had sex with a young woman when she did not want to have sex.

General conclusion Interesting and useful data has been obtained in this research. Data from different areas of the research show that one of the central problems in young men‟s lives are traditional norms, including stereotypical social norms. Stereotype roles are further manifest through unequal gender attitudes, violent behaviours and behaviours that are unhealthy and include the use of alcohol or some narcotics. It is certain that some preventive programmes that deal with these issues can bring positive results. Still, in addition to these programs, a greater social community could establish an environment where young people could, undisturbedly and with minimal expenses, creatively fulfil their time and develop pro-social values. Creative alternatives such as sports, art or culture are definitely better ways for young people‟s development then some guided methods that young men and women either do not understand or simply do not want to adopt. We feel that the program implemented by CARENWB represents a positive model of working with young people in a spontaneous, creative and unobtrusive way.