On March 17, 2025, the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) hosted The Man Question, a thought-provoking event that explored how to meaningfully engage men—particularly from migrant and refugee backgrounds—in preventing gendered violence. Through a series of discussions, the event challenged prevailing narratives around masculinity, cultural identity, and systemic discrimination, highlighting the necessity of an intersectional and community-driven approach to violence prevention.
Opening Address: The Urgency of Engagement
“How can we overcome this all-pervasive problem without the willing and wanting engagement of men in prevention? Without the involvement of those statistically most likely to perpetrate violence against women, against other men and against themselves, taking an active interest?”
Nour Haydar, host of the event and senior producer at Guardian Australia, opened the event with a powerful address, drawing from her own personal experience of losing her mother to violence in 2015. She underscored the importance of centering men in prevention efforts while acknowledging the systemic forces that perpetuate gendered violence. Haydar also spoke about the media’s role in shaping public perceptions, often reducing men—especially those from marginalised backgrounds—to one-dimensional stereotypes, rather than acknowledging the broader cultural and political contexts that shape their identities.
“For me, advocacy around gender equality and violence prevention and conversations around healthy masculinities must not ostracize men because of their culture and their faith,” Haydar noted.
Key Themes and Discussions
Engaging Men from Migrant and Refugee Communities
One of the central discussions revolved around how best to engage men in primary prevention work. Researcher at La Trobe University, Dr Innocent Mwatsiya, reflected on the importance of community influence in raising boys, challenging the Western notion of the nuclear family. “Boys are not little men. They exist in their own right,” he emphasised, calling for a strength-based, decolonised approach to understanding masculinity.
Dr. Shane Tas, Principal Advisor, Masculinities at Our Watch, further reinforced this perspective, advocating for broad-based community consultations that take into account men’s intersecting identities, including race, class, and visa status. He highlighted the need for targeted funding to sustain these prevention initiatives, pointing out that “tailored, community specific work is really important ...And we need to fund and resource the collaboration between community-based work and other organisations that are working in primary prevention.”
Masculinity and Its Intersectional Complexities
A recurring theme throughout the event was the social construction of masculinity and the pressures men face to conform to rigid gender norms. Priyanka Ajit, Project Lead at Our Watch, urged the audience to move beyond simplistic critiques of “traditional masculinity that is often used with negative connotations in the prevention space”, acknowledging that for many men, these norms have provided a sense of identity and purpose. She argued that we need to unbox men from a singular view of what it means to be a man, advocating for an empowering approach that allows men to redefine masculinity on their own terms.
Shankar Kasynathan echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of creating safe spaces for men to be reflect on their identities without fear of judgment. Using his experience as a volunteer facilitator at The Open Exchange, Kasynathan emphasised the role of workplaces and community settings as key entry points for engaging men. By starting with talking about workplace safety and respect, they can get migrant and refugee men in the door and hold space for them to be vulnerable. “The work we do, the very act of creating a space where men can choose to show up, is meaningful,” he said. “We offer a mirror a chance to look at themselves, not just as they are, but as they can be.”
Addressing Systemic Barriers and Discrimination
Dr. Adele Murdolo, CEO of MCWH, broadened the discussion by focusing on the structural factors that shape gendered violence. She challenged the dominant discourse that attributes violence to cultural background alone, instead urging a shift toward examining systemic forces such as capitalism, colonialism, and migration policies.
“The Man Question is actually a systems question. It’s not simply about individual men and how they behave,” Murdolo stated. She argued that prevention work must address the broader economic and social structures that sustain gender inequality and must include men in efforts to dismantle these systems.
Nesreen Bottriell highlighted how racial and religious discrimination further alienate migrant and refugee men from participating in prevention initiatives. Drawing on her experience as CEO at Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, she pointed out that Islamophobia and racial profiling discourage men from engaging in these conversations, reinforcing cycles of exclusion and vulnerability. “Migrant and refugee men can’t be engaged if they don’t feel included in the conversation,” she noted.
Moving Forward: What Needs to Change?
A central takeaway from The Man Question was the urgent need for long-term, sustainable investment in primary prevention initiatives that actively include men. The event emphasised that effective engagement requires:
- Community-led approaches that recognise the diverse influences shaping men’s identities and behaviors.
- Safe spaces for men to have honest conversations about masculinity, migration, and systemic barriers.
- An intersectional lens that considers how race, class, visa status, and economic structures impact men’s roles in prevention.
- A shift in discourse from cultural blame to systemic accountability, ensuring that violence prevention is seen as a shared societal responsibility.
As the event concluded, Kasynathan left the audience with a poignant call to action: “We must keep showing up. We must keep inviting men in. And trust that change will happen.”
The Man Question served as a vital platform for challenging assumptions, deepening conversations, and shaping future prevention strategies that are inclusive, equitable, and transformative. The path forward requires not only engaging men but reimagining the structures that shape their identities—so that gender equality becomes not just an aspiration, but a lived reality for all.
Watch the event highlights here or watch the full livestream here