On December 8, 2017, MenCare partners in Georgia presented the children’s book Lullaby for Lilly (იავნანა ლილისთვის) at an event dedicated to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. The book is written by Alexandre Lortkipanidze, illustrated by Sopho Kirtadze, and designed by Ekaterine Tabliashvili. It tells the story of one ordinary family’s day-to-day life, in which the mother and father share household duties and childcare responsibilities equally, and in which harmony is achieved through mutual understanding, sharing both happiness and challenges, and jointly finding ways to overcome difficulties.
The book aims to highlight the importance of MenCare’s mission: to promote men’s involvement as equitable, nonviolent fathers and caregivers in order to achieve family well-being, gender equality, and better health for mothers, fathers, and children. The MenCare campaign in Georgia is implemented by UNFPA Georgia’s Country Office in partnership with the NGO We Care, within the framework of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality funded by the Government of Sweden.
Findings from the survey Men and Gender Relations in Georgia, conducted with UNFPA’s support in 2013, confirm that existing stereotypes and established clichés in Georgia prevent men from taking on roles as caring, hands-on fathers, husbands, partners, and family members. Results also show that men’s daily involvement in the upbringing of children aged 0 to 6 is limited to playing and talking to them. The share of men who cook and change diapers or clothes for their young children (aged 0 to 6); who bathe them; who take them to kindergarten, school, or entertainment venues; or who read books to them on a daily basis does not exceed a total of 18%.