Advocacy efforts, at the local, national or regional level, aim to bring about change. Positive change in individual attitudes and behaviors, legal frameworks, and governmental or institutional policy and practice is essential in our work to prevent GBV. Lobbying, advocacy tools, petitions, networking and coalition building, and media are some of the strategies organizations use in their advocacy efforts. As GBV prevention requires influencing broader social norms, many organizations throughout the regions harness the power of the media to advocate for increased understanding and change on GBV. Some groups create their own media while others work to influence journalists and media institutions in order to improve portrayal of women in the media and foster a human rights culture. Many organizations are also expanding their understanding and use of traditional and new media in order to reach out in new and innovative ways to communities.

On this page you will find some examples of Member Organization's Advocacy and Media program approaches.

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Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW), Kenya.
Programme description on COVAW's work to harness the power of the media to advocate for women's right to live free of violence. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004)    [view]

Women Leadership Program Initiative: Training Workshop on Communication for Advocacy Strategy to Eradicate Gender-Based Violence (2003)
EQUITY, Tanzania. A report from a training workshop held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on leadership, gender and human rights.    [view]

GBV Prevention Network
The Network's first campaign of 2008, this campaign provides two types of postcards you can use to speak your mind to your local, national, or regional media houses: Red postcards when you want to raise your voice against insensitive and unethical coverage of women and GBV -- and to hold them to account. [view]

Nisaa Institute for Women's Development, South Africa.
Programme description of Nisaa's creative use of media to raise awareness of violence against women. Special emphasis on diversifying media strategies. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004)   [view]

Panos, Ethiopia.
Programme description on Panos' work to raise awareness and advocate for greater attention to violence against women within community and institutions. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004)   [view]

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), South Africa.
Programme description of POWA's use of media strategies to create effective public awareness campaigns. Special emphasis on developing corporate partnerships. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004)   [view]

Soul City Institute for Health and Development Institute, South Africa.
Programme description of Soul City's Series 4 multi-media campaign on violence against women. Excerpt from Preventing GBV in the Horn, East and Southern Africa: A Regional Dialogue (2004)   [view]