Faced with the alarming increase in cases of gender-based violence (GBV), Passerelle Women Centre in collaboration with the Australian High Commission launched the Green Flag Project on the 5th March 2025. 

As the name suggests, the initiative aims at promoting healthier gender roles and positive masculinity among young college students and men particularly.  Melanie Valère-Cicéron, president of Passerelle Women Centre, highlights that taking men onboard in such initiative, is essential as they are part of the solution and perpetrators of GBV are men in most cases. 

The activities that will be run till November 2025 include:

• Release of short and engaging videos that showcase examples of positive masculinity on TikTok.
• Elaboration of a budget memorandum together with NGO and other institutions working to end gender-based violence.  Additionally, this effort aims to define a roadmap for funding priorities in the fight against gender-based violence at political level. 
• A series of podcasts with various speakers exploring positive masculinity and the role of men in preventing violence and promoting women's rights.

Since the beginning of the year, over a hundred students (boys and girls) of Grade 10 from 8 public and private colleges are participating in the awareness programme. The objective is to spark the interest of young people so that they take up the torch afterwards. 

Results did not take long to appear, participants from Bhujoharry College have created a safe space where students experiencing violence in their family setting can express their feelings, deconstruct the model of male dominance they are witnessing and to embrace a healthier positive masculinity. 

To join the conversation, call Passerelle hotline on 5882 1000.