MEN’S FORUM IS AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MAIN AIM TO BE AN ACTIVE VOICE FOR BOY’S-, FATHER’S AND MEN’S LIFE- AND GENDER EQUALITY CHALLENGES IN SOCIETY.
Men’s Forum observe that 40 years of biased efforts to improve women and mothers position in society has created new gender inequalities between the sexes. Governmental family- and gender equality policies today favour mothers and women detrimental to equity and gender equality for men and fathers. The Gender Equality Act states already in chapter § 1. «The Act aims mainly to forward the position of Women». The Children Act has a similar but more indirect mother preferance which impedes equal parenthood for fathers, and equal access for the children for their parent’s love and care after divorce. Men’s Forum (MF) is also concerned about too many boys’ special challenges with women-dominated adolescence and education environment. The lack of male role models in kindergardens and schools is serious, together with the lack of public incetives for gender balance in further and higher education and other parts of public sector.
MEN’S FORUM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2008 AND IS THE LARGEST MEMBERSHIP BASED ORGANIZATION FOR MEN AND FATHERS PARENT AND GENDER ISSUES IN NORWAY.
MF is a fast growing organisation with approx. 600 paying members (June 2019). MF has also many followers on our open pages on Facebook. The majority of our members are fathers with children who are, or have been, subject to mothers’ prevention/sabotage of their right to contact with their father, sometimes with the support of family and children protection service staff. 10% of our members are women, mainly related to male members. 5 % of the members have immigrant background. MF is organized in working groups and regional networks, coordinated by an elected board. MF funding is based om membership fees, public grants and private gifts.
MEN’S FORUM MAIN ACTIVITIES ARE:
- Authority contact in the form of letters to, and meetings with, ministries, and parliament committees in connection with revisions of and amendments to laws and regulations concerning children, parent and gender equity.
- Seminars and conferences on important issues about boys, fathers and mens life- and gender challenges. Our major event is the large conference on the International Mens Day november 19. each year.
- Peer support by our most experienced members advicing father members in child custody/ care/contact conflict with the childs mother and her champions in the system after divorce.
- Appeals in front of the Parliament against the Children and Gender equality acts and systems violation of UN and European Children and Human Rights conventions.
- Documentation of the nature and extent of boys, fathers and mens life- and gender challenges, including statistics revealing public discrimination. Monitoring national and international research, and initiation of relevant research omitted by gender researchers.
- Man and woman prizes are awarded annually to candidates who have worked actively to prevent parent and gender discrimination of fathers and men, or have contributed actively to highten awareness of such discrimination.