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16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
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| Individually created T-shirts hang in a public display in Manenberg, Cape Town, South Africa, March 2004. The T-Shirts were created as part of the "clothesline project", which honored woman's experience and courage in facing violence. Credit: Susan Bazilli. |
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The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25) through International Human Rights Day (December 10). The theme for 2010 — “Structures of Violence: Defining the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women” — looks beyond specific forms of violence to underlying societal structures that permit gender-based violence to exist and persist.
Reducing Violence Against Women is Key to Effective Development
Eliminating violence against women has long been a goal of the United States. The U.S. Government recognizes that equal participation of women in the political, economic and social spheres of society is central to sustainable development. Promoting women's rights and reducing violence against women is essential for increasing development effectiveness. Unless women fully experience human rights, to which freedom from violence is inextricably bound, progress towards development goals will continue to fall short.
USAID Works to Reduce Gender-Based Violence & Exploitation
| Despite the myriad challenges they face, the people of Southern Sudan have high hopes for a new and peaceful future. While gender issues are often subordinated to others, such as security and infrastructure, it is perhaps instructive that one of the most popular songs on Southern Sudanese radio in summer 2010 related to gender: |
"Non-Violence to Women & Women's Empowerment"
Women of New Sudan, I cry, Original Ras Korby cries, because of your future
Chorus:
You do not beat women, you love
You do not fight women, you court them
You do not cheat women, you help them
You do not insult women, you should respect them
Mama, when you were in the war/in the bush,
you brought the water, brought wood, made the food,
when a child cries, only you have to attend to.
Father and friends arrive and have dinner.
[Chorus repeats]
Some of you went to schools, and some fought in the war.
Governments and Sudanese help the women
My life will not be complete
until women get their rights
[Chorus repeats]
Drop the price of marriage, so more women can be married
Stop nonsense, so women can go ahead
Stop tribalism, so love can live among the partners
Stop the beating of women and forced marriages
[Chorus repeats]
Father, why? Why is mother suffering like this,
why should this happen, why? Mama is very important.
The cake is on the table and let us share it equally
Father why should Mother go through this ordeal?[1]
© Original Ras Korby (Korby Hingera Gaere). Translation from Juba Arabic to English courtesy of the composer. Reprinted in "Gender Assessment: USAID/Southern Sudan", October 2010 (2MB, PDF).
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What we do
USAID works to reduce gender-based violence and exploitation (such as domestic violence, intimate partner violence, rape, sexual abuse, trafficking, female genital mutilation, and other harmful traditional practices) by:
- mobilizing women/girls and men/boys to prevent and mitigate violence;
- working with communities to address norms that perpetuate the acceptability of violence and to challenge harmful gender-based attitudes and practices;
- supporting policies and programs to prevent and respond to violence in various settings (e.g., schools, workplace, legal system);
- increasing access to psychosocial, legal, and health services;
- supporting special protections for women and children in conflict and humanitarian emergencies; and
- supporting policies and activities that protect the rights of women and children, and strengthening sanctions against violence.
How we work
USAID programs activities to combat GBV in the health, justice, education, and social services sectors in collaboration with host-country governments, non-governmental organizations, community groups, and faith-based associations.
Who we support
Survivors of violence whom USAID supports represent a full spectrum of humanity ranging from abused children, girls at risk of female genital cutting/mutilation, trafficked women and children, men and women at risk of HIV and related sexual violence, women suffering from intimate partner violence, or women and girls subjected to sexual atrocities in conflict areas where rape is used as a weapon of war.
GenDev Trains Staff on GBV & Human Trafficking
In February 2010, USAID's Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment conducted a four day training workshop on gender-based violence and trafficking in persons for USAID staff.
Keynote by UN Special Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons
Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, UN Special Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons, provided the keynote address. Ms. Ezeilo provided guidance for programming in this area and pointed to examples of good and best practices that she hoped would inspire action and further strengthen USAID's important work on GBV and trafficking.
Multiple topics covered
The training workshop focused on:
- common issues and understanding of gender-based violence and trafficking in persons;
- sharing of best practices;
- expert guidance from USAID, USG, and development partners;
- and a variety of tools for staff to use when identifying program priorities and designing focused projects.
Specific themes addressed were men's engagement; legal frameworks; communications; GBV during post-conflict and disaster situations; victim support and services; reducing demand for commercial sexual exploitation; and monitoring, evaluation, and building strong indicators.
International Men and Gender Equality Survey presented
Gary Barker of the International Center of Research on Women (ICRW) discussed the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), a nine-country study seeking to improve understanding of men, gender and violence. This study seeks answers to questions such as:
- How do boys and men learn violence?
- What factors contribute to men's use of violence against women?
- How can policy and program interventions engage men to end violence against women?
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