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In the first half of 2011, Eagles Youth Development, a member organization, partnered with Youth for Human Rights International to implement a project to address the issues of violence against women and children in Wakiso district in Uganda. The 6-month project focused on promoting behavior change by increasing access to communication materials in 11 schools and communities in the district. In March this year, the organization visited a further 8 communities with the same messages. EYD reports that one of the most valuable lessons learnt from this project is that partnership and networking with other organizations and development partners that prevent gender based violence is important in order to promote accessibility to resources and avoid duplication of services.
State Failure to Address Root Cause of Prostitution Exposed, 2012, Wallace Mawire
Individual member Wallace Mawire is a journalist from Zimbabwe. In this article, he reports on the proceedings of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee meeting. The Fifty-first session of the CEDAW was held in Geneva on 13th February to 2nd March, 2012. During this gathering, NGOs from Zimbabwe had an opportunity to present their dissatisfaction with the country’s delay in fully domesticating CEDAW as a means of protecting women’s rights. CEDAW experts noted that the country’s failure to address the root causes of poverty impedes the state's efforts to protect women, particularly from trafficking and prostitution.
Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) Boys’ Network Clubs Report, 2011, ZNWL
In 2011, member organization Zambia National Women’s Lobby Men’s Network (ZNWL) implemented a Boys’ Network Project. The project was implemented in five schools, namely Chazanga and Chongwe Basic schools, and Kamulanga, Munali and Kamwala High Schools. The project included National radio programs, dramas, debates and a training conference. This report highlights activities that were undertaken in the last phase of the action plan and demonstrates the innovativeness of using boys in school to promote gender equality.
WoMen Against Rape (WAR) GLOW Campaign, 2011
From 4th - 12th December 2011 WoMen Against Rape (WAR), organized a life skills camp for 31 young people from Okavango and Ngami areas in Botswana. GLOW (Guys and Girls Leading Our World) is a programme under WAR, a non-governmental organization based in Maun, Botswana. Camp GLOW aims to develop young leaders who will be part of the nationwide grassroots movement that educates, empowers and supports their peers in the prevention against HIV/ AIDS and gender based violence. The camp is an annual event.
The United Republic of Tanzania has released findings from the first national violence against children survey which was coordinated by UNICEF and conducted by CDC with support from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and a Multisectoral Task Force. The survey documents the scale of sexual, physical and emotional violence during childhood and in the 12 months preceding the survey, and includes findings for girls and boys.
From the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this report presents findings from the outcome evaluations pertaining to BRIDGE, a behavior change initiative initiated in 2003 that aims to encourage behavior change for HIV prevention. With funding from USAID, the Malawi BRIDGE project uses mass media and community-based interventions in Malawi specifically charged with preventing HIV infection through a theoretically informed behavior change programme in 8 districts.
Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC), 2012, Kaavya Asoka
The WHRD IC is a resource and advocacy network for the protection and support of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) worldwide. Coming at a time when WHRDs have received little attention in the human rights arena, the Global Report on the Situation of WHRDs plays a crucial part in advancing the recognition of WHRDs. The Global Report gives a contextual analysis of the environment in which WHRDs work and the violations they face because of their gender and/or work defending women's rights and sexual rights. The Global Report uses 43 case studies that illuminate specific trends and experiences of WHRDs.
Boys Network to Men's Network, 2011, Nelson Banda
The Boys Network project comprises five schools in Lusaka, Zambia. In each school, the Boys Network School Clubs work together with the Safe Space Clubs for girls to promote gender equality and fight injustices against girls through drama performances and debates. The project is part of the Tisunge Anna AthuAkazi Coalition let’s keep our girl children safe, a coalition of organizations working to empower girls in schools. The Boys Network called a press conference on the 29th October condemning sexual harassment of girls.
Family Health International (FHI) 360 Forum: Women + ARVs for HIV Prevention 29th September, 2011
According to the most recent WHO estimates, women in sub-Saharan Africa comprise 60% of HIV-positive people. Women have been hit hard by the epidemic due to a complex mix of biologic susceptibility‚ social and economic vulnerability‚ and complex behavioral factors. Experts across a range of areas related to HIV recently gathered at the Family Health International (FHI) 360 Forum in Washington, DC to discuss this and other challenges and opportunities in HIV work.
UNAIDS in collaboration with the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA), ATHENA, Salamander Trust, WECARe+ and Network Persone Seropositive convened a town hall dialogue to discuss how the HIV response facilitates the achievement of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all women, including women living with HIV, at every stage of their lives.
Violence Against Women: Intimate Partner& Sexual Violence Against Women Fact Sheet, 2011, WHO
This communication material from the World Health Organization was updated in September 2011. A WHO multi-country study found that between 15–71% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. This fact sheet provides the health consequences, risk factors, impact and response to this phenomenon.
In 2006, the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT) launched a campaign to engage young men as allies in addressing violence against girls. The YWAT, a youth-led and adult-supported social change project, conducted a participatory action research project, survey research, and a set of popular education workshops. YWAT have compiled all of their research, resources, curriculum units, and lessons learned into a comprehensive toolkit. The toolkit called “Where Our Boys At: Involving Young Men in Gender Violence Prevention” will help other organizations and youth-led groups to create their own efforts in their local communities.
Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum: Moving the Agenda Forward, 2011
From 10th to 13th October 2011, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum held its second international conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Researchers, policy makers, funders, gender activists, service providers and others came together to network, share ideas, discuss exciting strategies, and feed into important international campaigns currently underway to prevent and respond to sexual violence globally. Our very own Network members had a panel titled ‘Building GBV Research Capacity in Africa: Reporting on a Collaborative Experience’.