Calma programme

1. Bogotá and culture

Over the past 25 years, Bogotá has faced worrying rates of gender-based violence and the pandemic exacerbated this situation due to confinement and the economic crisis. 80% of gender-based violence is perpetrated by men and the redistribution of care work has historically fallen on women.

The normative frame for local cultural policies includes the SDGs, the public policies of Citizen Culture and Women and Gender Equity, as well as Law 1413 of 2010 and the District Development Plan “Bogotá walks safely”. This framework provides the basis for the implementation of the Calma Line and the Men in Care School, led by the Secretariat of Culture of Bogotá.

2. Project goals and implementation

2.1. Main goal and specific objectives

The overall objective is to prevent gender-based violence, to contribute to the equitable redistribution of unpaid care work and to promote co-responsible and non-violent masculinities from a culture of citizenship approach.

Through the Calma Line and the Men in Care School, the aim is to transform social norms and cultural representations related to hegemonic masculinity, addressing narratives, practices and ingrained behaviours that perpetuate gender violence and inequality in the distribution of care responsibilities. In addition, it seeks to encourage men to get involved in the struggle for gender equality, the equal and active participation of men in parenting and care, the rejection, denunciation and non-exercise of violence, recognising the value of emotional care and promoting the transformation of unequal relationships.

The aim is to prevent gender-based violence, to contribute to the equitable redistribution of unpaid care work and to promote coresponsible and non-violent masculinities.

2.2. Development of the project

The Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sport (SCRD) implemented an innovative programme to promote co-responsible and non-violent masculinities. This includes the Calma Line, a psychosocial and emotional care service aimed at preventing gender-based violence, and the educational strategy “Care can be Learned: Men in Care”, which promotes male co-responsibility in care work. These strategies combine individual and group interactions, complemented with communicative actions focused on cultural and behavioural change, seeking to create new narratives on gender roles and masculinity, and working particularly with men over 18 years of age living in the city of Bogotá.

The Calma Line was launched in 2020 as a pilot measure for the pandemic with a team of eight psychology professionals to offer psychosocial counselling and emotional support to men in Bogotá, promoting emotional expression and the search for support, challenging the norms of machismo and hegemonic and heteronormative masculine identities. The second objective focuses on assisting men who manifest physical and psychological aggression towards their partners for reasons related to machismo, jealousy and control, and the delivery of psycho-educational tools aimed at exploring the beliefs, narratives, behaviours and gender norms that perpetuate gender-based violence. After the pilot period, the need to extend the opening hours of the Calma Line was identified, as well as to increase the capacity of the team and establish a legal counselling service. Subsequently, it continued with extensive implementation.

The SCRD then launched Men in Care aimed at encouraging reflection on male co-responsibility in care work in all its dimensions and challenging entrenched beliefs about men’s inability to care, inviting them to unlearn these norms of masculinity. The strategy was designed under the feminist socio-ecological model, targeting men at three levels: individual, community and collective. It offers training, reflection and practical experiences on care work, such as childcare, housework, emotional support and environmental care. It is organised into: mobile pedagogical, face-to-face pedagogical and narrative, in coordination with the District System of Care (SIDICU), as well as with various public, private, national and international actors. In other local spaces, the Mobile School is an itinerant vehicle that hosts communicative and pedagogical actions. Its coverage was increased by expanding its activities, including the implementation of services in “18 Caring Blocks”, the creation of face-to-face infrastructures in Ciudad Bolivar and Tunjuelito, the design of prototypes of non-sexist games with the support of Open Society, and in collaboration with the private sector and universities in Bogota.

The Calma programme includes digital and audiovisual pieces and performative activities aimed at promoting dialogues with citizens about the programme’s actions. These include the miniseries “Calma”, which challenges traditional roles of masculinity in Bogotá, and the Master Class Men in Care, which offers short, didactic tutorials for men to improve their care-giving skills at home. These tutorials address topics such as fatherhood, housework and anger management.

The Calma programme has established significant partnerships with a number of international organisations and in 2023 moved forward with support from USAID for the development of a social memory and mid-term evaluation. 

In 2022, SIDICU and the Cultural Transformations programme (of which Calma is a part) received an Award from the Open Society Foundations. Locally, the programme has received the support of public entities such as the Secretariat for Social Integration, the District Secretariat for Women and the Public Libraries Network. Also noteworthy are the articulation scenarios with the District Men’s Prison and the FORJAR programme of the Secretariat for Social Integration.

Calma Line is a psychological and emotional care service aimed at preventing gender-based violence from a perspective of male involvement.

3. Impacts

3.1. Direct impacts

Calma has had a significant impact in Bogotá and its surroundings. It has involved men in the prevention of genderbased violence and has had a cross-cutting impact on various social, economic and cultural aspects, promoting gender equality.

In terms of culture and local cultural actors, it has generated a paradigm shift by promoting narratives that challenge traditional gender roles, creating spaces for dialogue that have allowed for a rethinking of cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based violence.

3.2. Evaluation

The Calma Programme implements an evaluation system using district surveys and pre- and post-service evaluation instruments to measure cultural and behavioural change. The Calm Line uses emotional follow-up surveys and service evaluation.

Men in Care conducts research and monitoring. It has been found that emotional care presents resistance, but participation in school has brought about positive changes. Entrenched beliefs about caring and emotions have also been identified, but the pedagogies implemented received high marks and the data show significant progress towards co-responsible masculinity.

3.3. Key factors

The programme has demonstrated a deep understanding of cultural and behavioural dynamics in the territory, thanks to rigorous studies that have identified specific needs. This knowledge base has facilitated the design of precise and effective interventions, adapted to local realities.

The programme’s implementation has benefited significantly from inter-institutional collaboration and active community participation. Coordination between different government and civil society actors has strengthened the programme’s responsiveness and legitimacy, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

Finally, the programme’s focus on promoting co-responsible and non-violent masculinity has generated tangible and positive results. The high levels of user satisfaction and the increasing willingness of men to challenge traditional gender roles reflect the transformative impact of the Calma programme.

3.4. Continuity 

The continuity of the Calma Programme has been consolidated through different mechanisms, being incorporated as a service of cultural transformation for the District Care System through Decree 415 of 2023, or the inclusion of the integration of the Calma Line with Line 123 as a product of the Public Policy for Security, Coexistence, Justice and Peace Building and Reconciliation. Likewise, the new development plan Bogotá Camina Segura has reaffirmed its commitment to continue with the programme.

In 2024, the need to strengthen these actions has been identified along three axes:

• The territorialisation of the programme proposes that the programme’s actions respond to local realities by understanding the dynamics, capacities and motivations of local men, ensuring that actions are relevant, effective and address the problems of violence in specific contexts.
• In terms of audience expansion, the aim is to reach more men and guarantee their access to the strategies through the diversification of service channels (WhatsApp), which will make it easier for more men to access the Calma line service.
• A transmedia approach as one of the main innovations of the Programme, this approach allows the messages to be taken to various platforms such as social networks, podcasts and videos, creating an accessible and continuous experience for men. Through the production of audiovisual content, key messages for the promotion of non-violent and co-responsible masculinities will be reinforced by adapting to the formats most consumed by today’s audiences and generating a constant conversation in public opinion.
• The programme will design strategies to connect with different groups of men, taking into account their characteristics and needs. In this way, the impact of the programme is maximised. For example:
  • Verso Diverso: a freestyle circuit that addresses the prevention of violence, discrimination and inequality in care work with men linked to the city’s hip hop culture
  • “Torneo de banquitas la 10” that promotes behavioural changes with regard to domestic violence and violence against women, derived from machismo, inadequate management of emotions such as frustration and grief, and collective and ritualised violence among participants of football clubs in Bogota.

Men in Care seeks to encourage reflection on male coresponsibility in care and to challenge entrenched beliefs about men's inability to perform these tasks, inviting them to unlearn these norms of masculinity.

4. More information

Bogotá was a candidate for the sixth UCLG – Mexico City – Culture 21 International Award (November 2023 – March 2024). The jury for the award drew up its final report in June 2024, and requested that the Committee on Culture promote this project as one of the good practices to be implemented through Agenda 21 for culture.

This article was written by José Díaz and Estefanía Salas, Officers of the District Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Sport, Bogota DC, Colombia.

Contact: jose.diaz (at) scrd.gov.co and stefhania.salas (at) scrd.gov.co
Website: www.culturarecreacionydeporte.gov.co/es