16 Days of Activism 2017

End Violence Empower Women by 2030!

25 NOVEMBER – 10 DECEMBER 2017

Synopsis  |  Objectives  |   Key dates  |  Background  |  Activities
Outputs  | Outcomes  |  Regional 16 Days calendar

Every year the United Nations declares the period from the 25 November – International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, to 10 December – International Human Rights Day, as the 16 days of no violence against women across the globe. Aligned to achieving the global commitments in the Sustainable Development Goals the global 16 Days Theme for 2017 is, “Together We Can End GBV in Education!” GL and partner organisations have adapted this theme in line with working towards achieving the regional SADC Gender and Development Protocol target to end GBV by 2030, and will facilitate vibrant online and on the ground campaigns and lobbying initiatives under the banner End Violence Empower Women by 2030! Please refer to the full concept note here.

 Join our Community of Practice to take part in our discussions on key thematic issues detailed in the regional calendar of events ; and on our social media platforms. Refer to this admin note on how to join the COP
    

Synopsis

This concept paper concerns GL’s 2017 Sixteen Days of Activism campaign. Every year the United Nations declares the period from the 25 November, International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, to 10 December, International Human Rights Day, as the 16 days of no violence against women across the globe. Aligned to achieving the global commitments in the Sustainable Development Goals the global 16 Days Theme for 2017 is, “Together We Can End GBV in Education!” GL and partner organisations have adapted this theme in line with working towards achieving the regional SADC Gender and Development Protocol target to end GBV by 2030, and will facilitate vibrant online and on the ground campaigns and lobbying initiatives under the banner End Violence Empower Women by 2030!

Gender Links offices in Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe will collaborate with councils and strategic partners to organise and facilitate online and on the ground activities and campaigns at national and local community levels. GL office staff with collaborate with national governments in 16 Days of Activism launches and partner with councils in hosting community dialogues and marches as detailed in the events calendar.

GL’s GBV Indicators studies conducted in seven countries including Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe highlight the importance of economic independence as critical to better deal with GBV and end VAW&G. Since 2013, GL piloted an Empower Women, End Violence programme for survivors of GBV from 10 Southern African countries to promote secondary GBV prevention. Through a three years pilot, GL contributed to changing the lives of over 1350 women in the programme. Informed by the pilot evaluation report in 2015, GL rebranded the programme during the Sixteen Days campaigns in 2016 to the Sunrise Campaign. Entrenched social norms have been challenged through business and life skills training for women gender based violence (GBV) survivors to take charge and increase agency to deal with violence in their lives and communities. Through the Sunrise Campaign, women GBV survivors are economically empowered to increase their self-confidence, agency and independence.

During the 2017 Sixteen Days of Activism, GL aims to sensitise community members and key stakeholders on economic violence and the importance of empowerment and bodily autonomy, calling on people across the region to empower themselves and others; help advance peace in the home and on the streets; and ensure we end GBV and achieve gender equality. The Gender Links Community of Practice will be used as a virtual platform for active online and social media campaigns for lobbying key stakeholders to influence behavior change and policy reforms. GL’s virtual platform enables all people and peers who share the gender equality, justice and mainstreaming agenda to share ideas and engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain with other people with a strong gender equality persuasion and respect of human rights. Please refer to this administrative note on how to join the COP.

As detailed in the Events Calendar, GL will coordinate three specific regional campaigns:

1. 30 November, (12:00 – 13:00 South African time): GL will host and facilitate a webinar on Sexual Harassment titled, Swept under the carpet: Sexual Harassment in schools and workplaces. Key discussion points will include creating a better understanding of sexual harassment, its forms and impact on students and staff in academic institutions and in the workplaces, what can be done to encourage victims to speak out timely, policies and mechanisms in place to assist victims, gaps in dealing with perpetrators and key actions within the next year to improve on prevention, response and support strategies on sexual harassment.
2. 7 December, 12:00 to 13:00 (South African time): GL will host and facilitate a Tweetchat on Blessers or plague to girls’ progress in life. Are there ways out of the blesser’s scourge? Join the chat on Twitter and use the hashtag – #Blessers. All interested and key stakeholders are invited to share their views and advice on what can be done to end the blessers’ scourge as a key way to end GBV by 2030. This online chat will include young men and women; elderly; social, gender and human rights activists and all people across the SADC region. It is envisaged that through this discussions, key information will be shared that will assist to end the practice, empower women and girls with necessary information to enable them make informed decisions to refute falling prey to the blessers.
3. 8 December, (11:00 to 14:00 South African time): GL will officially launch the Gender Links Community of Practice (COP) at a Zoom Webinar to brief GL partners, gender activists and key stakeholders on the online COP platform that is hosted on the Gender Links website on this LINK.  GL will demonstrate navigation, key resources and discussion platforms, use the opportunity to mobilise members to sign-up, join the discussions on key thematic areas especially during the 16 Days Campaigns period. In commemoration of the Montreal Massacre on 6 December 1989, GL will also facilitate a discussion titled, The economic value of education for women and girls. The discussion will focus on contextualizing the Montreal Massacre, update on the context of education for women and girls in the SADC region as detailed in Chapter 3 of the SADC Gender Protocol Barometer 2017, discuss challenges to equal access to quality education for males and females, the impact marginalization in education on girls and women, the key benefits of education for women and girls, what more can be done in strengthening education policies in the region, share best practices and gather key actions that need to be focused on in 2018 to promote equality and quality education in the region.
   To join the Zoom Webinar, register here, Download Zoom HERE and follow the instructions here.

These events will be used as important platforms for promoting transformation to end violence, empower women, lobby for education for all, advocate for women’s bodily autonomy and their voice, choice and control community by community.

Objectives

• Produce content and engage in various media platforms to stimulate debate and create awareness about GBV, education, empowerment, economic independence and intersecting issues.
• Strengthen local government capacity to address GBV to promote the principle of zero tolerance to GBV in communities.
• Create smart partnerships in each country to extend the reach and scope of the Sixteen Days campaign to promote the prevention GBV in multiple sites in every country.
• Engage with people from all walks of life using online and social media and raise awareness on GBV.
• Link campaigns against GBV with the SDGs and the SADC Gender Protocol Agenda 2030.

Key dates

The Sixteen Days of Activism campaign runs from the 25 November to the 10 December 2017. The key dates to note during the campaign are:

• 25 November: International Day of no Violence Against Women
• 1 December: World AIDS Day
• 3 December: International Day for the Disabled
• 6 December: Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre- where 14 female engineering students were gunned down by a man because they were allegedly feminist.
• 10 December: Human Rights Day

Background

Despite the significant strides made in the SADC region to respond to gender violence, it remains one of the most flagrant violations of human rights and impediments to equality between women and men in Southern Africa. Historically the region has been wracked by the violence of white minority rule and various civil wars. The revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development adopted by SADC Heads of State in September 2016 sets a target for the SADC region to end GBV by 2030. This instrument is aligned to the SDGs, Africa Agenda 2063 and other global and regional instruments for promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and justice. While country contexts differ, GBV is a concern in all Southern African countries. Inclusive education with equal access to all resources and safe school and learning environments are key priorities for gender activists in the SADC region.

Activities

GL’s Sixteen Days 2017 campaign will have five main thrusts. The calendar of events shows detailed activities GL will be part of with key stakeholders:

1. Influencing public policy transformation through gender responsive service delivery, perceptions and behaviour change around issues of GBV and promoting bodily autonomy:

• Multi-media content production and dissemination online and on social media through an active GL community of practice. Alliance newsletters and GL press releases on the 16 days will be used to share information on the campaigns and use the platforms as tools for lobbying on critical issues during this period.
• Review, assessment and reprioritization for LG GBV action plans – strengthening council gender and GBV action plans to ensure the plans are relevant to community needs and adequately budgeted for effective implementing towards a 365 days campaign to empower women and end violence by 2030.
• Conduct 16 Days Campaign launches including GL Community of Practice launches as a way of raising awareness of the violence against women scourge in countries.
• Profiling of GBV survivors of violence through multimedia.

2. Community engagements and activism to end violence against women and girls.

• Conduct online, social media and on-the ground campaigns to end violence against women and promote bodily autonomy community by community.
• Strengthen partnerships with other civil society organisations and gender activists through information sharing and participating in national advocacy activities through a vibrant Gender Links Community of Practice.
• Conduct village level dialogues and marches on ending GBV e.g. Take back the Night.
• Lobby other countries to conduct baseline research on the prevalence of GBV.
• Multimedia dissemination of GBV research and data findings and recommendations – pamphlets, infographics, radio and TV.

3. Local action to end GBV

• Engage men and boys in campaigns to end VAW and GBV.
• Conduct advocacy during the campaigns to popularise the council gender and GBV action plans.
• Increase citizen engagement in implementation of plans through sharing and explaining the use of the local government citizens score card; administering its use and promoting it as a tool for regular citizen’s tracking of their council’s performance in gender sensitive and responsive service delivery and mainstreaming.

4. Raising awareness through the media

• A special series of multi-media content will be produced during Sixteen Days focussing on the theme of the day and related themes specific to empowerment, as well as content that profiles survivors and entrepreneurs.
• Engaging social media, and facilitating a vibrant community of practice to debate and discuss GBV, economic agency, empowerment and other intersecting issues.
• All content will be shared with media and key institutions for republishing.
• Daily mail shots to inform people of activities and how and when they can participate.
• GL has also come up with daily themes that would be discussed in dialogues in the community of practice discussion forums.
• GL will have lined up social media posts on GBV posted on its social media platforms on each day during the 16 days borrowing from the content produced.

5. Administering monitoring and evaluation qualitative and quantitative tools

• GL will establish a baseline survey for the new gender attitudes survey incorporating new questions on LGBTI and sex work.
• GL will work through the alliance networks and COE gender focal persons and champions to collect representative samples of attitudes during the 16 days of activism.
• The Alliance networks will link the 16 days of activism campaigns, and the local and community actions for a strong Agenda 2030 through amplifying voices of citizens.
• Collect and document qualitative testimonial and case study evidence of men, women, boys and girls actively promoting gender justice, ending GBV and women’s empowerment and rights to bodily autonomy in councils and communities.
• Monitoring and evaluation linked to the SADC Gender Protocol will be administered during the 16 days to obtain samples on gender equality progress in the region that will be incorporated in the 2018 barometer.
• The 16 days of activism period will be used to popularise the Gender Links Community of Practice, 2017 regional barometer and further strengthen national and local strategies for achieving the Agenda 2030.

Outputs

• Various planning, monitoring and evaluation instruments, these include:
  • Strengthened GBV local action plans from councils
  • Event registrations and participants forms
  • Gender Justice citizen score cards
  • Knowledge and attitude surveys
  • SADC Gender Justice and Local Government Protocol Quiz
  • Baseline Local Government Citizen’s Score Card
  • Evaluation forms
  • 16 Days reports

• Materials including:
  • Fact sheets – GBV
  • Banners
  • Posters
  • T shirts

• Media outputs and information including:
  • Thematic articles and multi-media content on GBV, empowerment and intersecting issues
  • “I” stories
  • Infographics

• Reports including:
  • Workshop/meetings/Community dialogues reports with key outcomes/resolutions/press release.
  • Minutes of face-to-face discussions
  • Online and Social media community of practice records of debases and discussion forums.
  • Marches and Community dialogues
  • Audio – visual material

Outcomes

• Awareness: The Sixteen Days Campaign activities increases awareness on gender based violence and GBV provisions in the Agenda 2030 SADC Gender Protocol.
• Assessment: Critical assessment on performance of local councils in addressing GBV relative to the provisions of the SADC Protocol.
• Increased participation: Increased participation in the campaign through a vibrant on-the ground and online community of practice, partnerships with local government, local communities, institutions of higher learning, faith based organisations among others.
• Localising the campaign: Generating a groundswell of activity at local level for ending gender violence.

Regional 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Girls Calendar of Campaigns and Events