Regional: Sixteen Days Campaign highlights

End violence! empower women!

Partners in Southern Africa will hold the 16 Days of Activism against gender violence campaign under the banner À“ Peace begins at home. This will link local government councils, media practitioners, media institutions, gender and media networks, gender NGOs and in some cases national government officials through various activities lined up during the campaign period. Click here to view concept, activities and calendar of events at regional and country level.

Every year the United Nations declares the period from the 25 November, International Day for the Eradication of Violence against Women, to the 10 December, International Human Rights Day, as the 16 Days of No Violence against Women across the globe. The Sixteen Days of Activism 2012 Campaign is happening under the global theme: From peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women!

The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development urges states to reduce current levels of gender-based violence by 50% by 2015. The message is time is running out as the deadline approaches. In many instances, most Member States do not know the full extent of GBV in their countries.

In line with this framework GL’s Sixteen Days 2012 campaign will have three main thrusts:

• GBV Indicators research: Using results from the Gender Based Violence indicators research to lobby for systemic solutions to ending gender violence in SADC.
• Working with the media, gender and media (GEM) networks and institutions of higher learning to promote the use of media as part of the solution to ending GBV.
• Working with local government as a key partner in ending GBV through 45 local councils across nine countries to run strategic communications prior to the Sixteen Days campaign and IT for Advocacy workshops during the Sixteen Days. This will also involve working with 20 GBV survivors in each council to write their personal accounts using GL’s “I” stories, healing through writing methodology. The GBV survivors will participate in an entrepreneurship-training programme as part of the GL Local Government COE process in 2013. Click here for

There will be a series country launches of the country 2012 SADC Gender Protocol Barometers and the regional books. This is an opportune time to profile the key findings as they measure the status of women and men in terms of equality and equity in the region.