Human Rights Education A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions 9.2. HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND GENDER NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region have made a commitment to making gender equality a primary goal in their countries. To reach this goal, two approaches are generally taken. The first is a gender mainstreaming approach and the second involves the use of specialised mechanisms.142 These two approaches are complementary and aim to ensure that gender issues are integrated into the daily thinking and culture of an organisation and its external work, and that specific gender inequalities are addressed. The APF recognises that “gender” refers to socially constructed roles of and power relations among people of diverse gender identities, all of whom may be affected differently by an NHRI’s activities. The APF also recognises that gender identity relates to both cis and trans people and that multiple dimensions of discrimination and disadvantage exist across intersectional gender groupings and contexts. Applying a gender-neutral approach that does not make explicit the distinct and differential situations, or the specific inequalities arising across genders, prevents the visibility of issues for specific gender identities. If women, girls and people of diverse gender identities are not actively included, they may be unintentionally excluded. This means that to achieve substantive gender equality the incorporation of gender when facilitating a human rights activity goes beyond the number of male and female participants involved. Rather it involves applying a gender lens to all stages of the human rights activity.143 Working toward gender equality does not necessarily mean treating people of diverse genders the same. Rather, it is about treating all genders in such a way that the outcome can be the same. The same treatment of people in unequal situations tends to perpetuate discrimination and inequality. This cartoon, for example, shows that mean expecting all participants to achieve the same task, creates a situation of inequality for some. 9.2.1. Gender mainstreaming approach to human rights education Gender mainstreaming human rights education activities involves identifying the gender implications across all stages of a human rights education activity, taking action to achieve gender equality and ensuring gender inequality is not perpetuated. The outcome sought is gender equality. Gender mainstreaming human rights education involves identifying how gender-based discrimination and unconscious bias affects participants across diverse gender identities, particularly those most vulnerable – women and girls and gender ‘non-conforming’ participants. It also involves engaging men and boys in understanding and taking action toward gender equality. Gender mainstreaming was established as a major global strategy for achieving gender equality in the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995.144 Since then considerable effort has been made to integrate a gender perspective and the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system. Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” for example, calls for a gender mainstreaming strategy in all policies and programmes. Gender mainstreaming also recognises the additional disadvantages people of diverse gender identities experience as a result of other identities such as race, disability, age, socio economic status/class, caste, indigeneity, sexual orientation, sex characteristics, rurality, migrant and refugee status. 82 142 As noted in the APF Performance Report (Nov 2017), s11.5. pp 51 – 58; and APF Gender Strategy 2015–2020, www.asia pacificforum.net/media/resource_file/APF_22_AGM_Papers_v2.pdf. 143 For more information, please see APF Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines for Trainers and Developers of APF Training Material. Available at www.asiapacificforum.net/resources/apf-gender-mainstreaming-guidelines-trainers/. 144 Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing September 1995. Available online at www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/pdfs/ Beijing_Declaration_and_Platform_for_Action.pdf.