“WITH PRIVILEGE COMES RESPONSIBILITY”

Melle Leenstra
Ministerie van Landbouw en Buitenlandse Zaken

“I am a son, a husband and a father of wondeful women. Their well being is my well being. This makes me a stakeholder in the women’s movement.

My work in countries where partriarchy is entreched and poverty is prevalent has shown me how privileged I am. I have been taught that with privilege comes responsibility. My international work makes me the primary bread winner at home. I am extra aware of my wife’s role a a practical care giver and our interdependence. But I don’t want my girls to take this traditional patern as the norm.

We can only make the world a better place if we not only work on women’s empowerment, but also address men’s responsibilities, insecurities and vulnerabilities. Emancipator aims to do that.”