| Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP)
CEDOVIP is the Focal NGO for Uganda
BACKGROUND:
The Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) is a local civil society organization committed to preventing domestic violence. CEDOVIP’s work begun in 2000 under a tripartite partnership between National Association of Women’s Organizations (NAWOU), Raising Voices and Action Aid Uganda. This partnership spearheaded a community based pilot project to prevent domestic violence based on ‘Mobilizing Communities to prevent Domestic Violence: A resource Guide for Organizations in East and Southern Africa’, developed by Raising Voices. From 2000-2002 it operated as Domestic Violence Prevention Project, and in 2003 due to the strength and successes of the project it became an independent organization known as Center for Domestic Violence Prevention.
CEDOVIP has received national and international acclaim for the project in Kawempe Division. The project, holistic in its approach, is highly participatory and spearheaded by a variety of stakeholders including professionals working in local institutions such as the schools and health clinics, local council and religious leaders, women and men at the grassroots. Uniquely, the approach seeks to facilitate a process of individual and social change on the core issues that perpetuate domestic violence: women’s low status and gender inequity. Rights-based in its approach, the project seeks to stimulate and inspire change and uses a variety of activities to create a supportive environment for women.
OBJECTIVES:
To promote and enable national prevention and response to domestic violence; to mobilize the communities in around Kampala to change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate domestic violence; and to create a supportive environment by influencing attitudes, actions and legislation that upholds women’s human rights, particularly the right to safety.
MISSION/VISION:
To transform the power imbalance in intimate relationships in Uganda;
PROGRAM AREAS:
The three program areas build on and strengthen each other, with a firm grounding in the reality of everyday life for Ugandans feeding into the wider national processes to build environments supportive of women’s human rights from the grassroots up.
- Domestic Violence Prevention Demonstration Project
- National Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative
- National Advocacy Program
1. Domestic Violence Prevention Demonstration Project
The overall objective of this project is to mobilize the community in Kampala District to change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate domestic violence.
Specific objectives of the demonstration project include:
- To support and inspire women, men and youth in the communities to take action to prevent domestic violence.
- To strengthen capacity of the Police officers and health care providers to create changes in policy and practice in their places of work that uphold women and children’s rights .
- To advocate for change within the local councils (LC1), parish chiefs, local government (LC3) and with other key opinion leaders in communities to create an environment supportive of women’s rights and priorities.
Key activities of the demonstration project include:
Local Activism Department works with 66 trained volunteers (equal numbers of women and men) to engage community members and local leaders to prevent violence against women at the grassroots level. Activities within Local Activism include: Booklet Clubs, Community Action Groups, Street Theatre, Building Supportive environments in Beauty Salons and Barber Shops, Domestic Violence Watch Groups e.g traditional marriage counsellors called ssengas groups, and public events, Community action fund to help survivors of domestic violence who are in dire need to pursue for justice or escape to safety, community volunteers/counsellors trainings, citizen of the year awards to those community members who have been very exemplary in their behaviour towards women’s rights.
Men’s Program works to seek fuller and more meaningful engagement with men. Works with 20 trained Volunteers called Male Activists, to specifically engage men to prevent violence against women. Activities with in this program include: Peer to peer discussions, leisure places out reach, carpentry out reach, sporting events, working with local music (male) artists and couple seminars.
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Building Capacity Department works with key staff of institutions (police, social workers, religious leaders and health care workers, staff of NGOs) with in Kampala District to influence policy and practice within the workplace around women's rights and domestic violence. Activities include a comprehensive Community Activism Course workshop series, seminars, and extensive one-on-one support to resource persons, steering committee meetings with leaders of the police and health care workers. Development and publication of working tools i.e., the police violence against women handbook and designing and writing the health workers violence against women handbook.
Media and Advocacy Department is in the midst of a multimedia campaign (radio, TV, newspaper) to influence public dialogue regarding women's status and rights within their families and the community. This department also works with other NGOs, local leaders and organized bodies (i.e. Midwives Associations, journalists etc.) to influence practice within the civil society around women’s rights and domestic violence. The department, through lobbying local councils, policy makers and parish chiefs, is spearheading the formation and implementation of the domestic violence by-law within Kawempe division.
Learning Materials Department creates dynamic materials in popular format that are used in public activities to emphasize women's rights and the importance of public dialogue and action to prevent domestic violence. There are now 40 murals painted across the 22 parishes in Kawempe Division, several info sheets, 10 posters printed and widely distributed, and 2 story booklets that discuss gender, violence and rights.
2. National Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative
The overall objective of this initiative is to promote and enable national prevention and response to domestic violence.
The specific objectives of the initiative include:
- To increase the number of community-based domestic violence prevention programs in Uganda by 2008.
- To enhance capacity of CSOs to design, implement and evaluate community-based domestic violence prevention programs by 2008.
- To strengthen the quality of domestic violence prevention efforts in Uganda by 2008.
This program seeks to strengthen the capacity of CSOs in Uganda to plan and implement effective domestic violence prevention programs. There are a variety of organizations in Uganda interested in implementing domestic violence prevention programs in their own communities in districts throughout Uganda. Yet they lack the knowledge and skills with which to develop effective and efficient programs. CEDOVIP’s programs, based on an award winning program tool, demonstrate an effective holistic approach to violence prevention. As such CEDOVIP is regularly requested to provide technical support to many organizations over the last 3 years.
Key activities of the initiative include:
National Training course includes the design and facilitation of a comprehensive National Training Course to enable at least 10 organizations from different communities/districts in Uganda to become skilled at domestic violence prevention.
The Learning Center hosts colleagues from Uganda to work alongside staff of CEDOVIP to gain exposure to and experience in community mobilization strategies and become skilled at domestic violence prevention programming. The Learning Center demonstrates the community mobilization project and strengthens the capacity of others to address domestic violence in their own communities and organizations.
Technical support involves CEDOVIP staff visiting each participating organization and giving at least one week each year to onsite technical support. The technical support also includes monitoring and assessment of organizational issues that may hamper effective implementation of the domestic violence prevention project.
3. National Advocacy Program
The overall objective of this program is to create a supportive environment by influencing attitudes and actions that uphold women’s human rights, particularly the right to safety.
The specific objectives include:
- Conduct a national media campaign in print and electronic media on six key themes by 2008.
- Build coalitions and support for domestic violence prevention within civil society, donor partners and policy makers in Uganda by 2008.
The key activities of the National Advocacy program include:
Media campaign which focuses on two key themes annually, each for two quarters. Electronic and print media is utilized which includes one daily English national paper as well as one vernacular paper that reaches countrywide. Additionally, radio is used extensively, focusing on those stations that have national coverage. Editor’s seminars and journalist seminars are also held.
Influencing Policy and Coalition Building. CEDOVIP advocates for positive change within the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government to work toward a more supportive legal and policy framework in Uganda that operationalizes women’s human rights. CEDOVIP does this independently and in collaboration with other organizations when appropriate and feasible. CEDOVIP works in collaboration with other CSOs, government ministries and other stakeholders to advocate for more attention and investment in domestic violence prevention in Uganda.
Activities include: policy advocacy, petitions and public events, 16 days of activism against violence against women, national domestic violence awareness week, and domestic violence conference.
Resources about or by CEDOVIP:
- Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) 2005 Annual Report [view]
- Domestic Violence Prevention Project. A report on Phase One of the Domestic Violence Prevention Project in Kawempe Division, Kampala, Uganda. [view]
- Raising Voices and the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention Impact Assessment: Mobilizing Communities to Prevent Domestic Violence, 2003, Kampala, Uganda. [view]
- Safe Families Safe Communities: A Story Booklet, Center for Domestic Violence Prevention and Raising Voices, Uganda [view]
- Kawempe Takes Action to Prevent Domestic Violence: Join Us!, Center for Domestic Violence Prevention, Uganda. [view]
- Programme description of CEDOVIP's work to mobilize communities against domestic violence. Special emphasis on creating meaningful community participation. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004). [view]
- Media campaign on the link between violence and HIV featured in the February 2007 issue of “Perspectives on Prevention.” [view]
- “Program Spotlight: Working with Community Volunteers,” featured on the December 2005 issue of “Perspectives on Prevention.” [view]
- 16 Days of Activism 2006 campaign report [view]
- 16 Days of Activism 2005 campaign report [view]
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: Plot 16 Tufnell Drive, Kamwokya
P.O. Box 6770
Kampala, Uganda
Telephone/fax: +256 0414 531249
e-mail: tmusuya@raisingvoices.org
Focal contact: Tina Musuya
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