Evidence-Based Advocacy - United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

From the children’s perspective…
Boys and girls may not be equally/similarly informed on issues that affect them.
They are unaware of what advocacy is and how they can be involved.
They can’t access decision-making processes.
They lack the capacity to engage.
Barriers to effective child participation.
From the adults’ perspective, several barriers may exist in our planning and implementation of advocacy
Lack of understanding of what we mean by participation.
Lack of time, skills and resources to do it properly.
Adults’ attitudes towards gender and boys and girls in the community.
Gender roles and status in society: In some communities, girls may not be consulted in key decisions, in
others, boys may not be included in the dialogue.
Gender equality, in general, may not be seen as a priority.
How can we help both boys and girls participate?
Know when to intervene with support and when to encourage growth and development.
Recognize the stage of development and maturity of the children involved and which approaches will work
best for them; For example, with younger children, we may want to use art, puppets, theatre and other
educational strategies to promote their participation; and with older children, we may wish to use peersupported
engagement, use of focus groups, published resources etc to ensure their participation in the
advocacy process.
Make adult partners aware of gender-responsive child participation in advocacy, its importance and how to
support it.
How can we start involving children?
Regard both male and female children as stakeholders.
Build on what you already have (children’s clubs, etc).
Create acceptance of participation from both sexes.
Work with adults in the community.
Create space for learning from experience and improving.
Focus on ethical practice – non-discrimination, accountability.
It’s never too late to start!
Challenges to advocates
To advocate is to engage. Frustrations should not limit advocacy efforts.
Bring in the knowledge. Legislators don’t always have the time to update themselves regarding new
information and research.
Reach out to other networks, strengthen coalitions with advocates. Members of the media, academia,
religious, communities, professionals should be viewed as allies.
Comprehend full legislative advocacy. Legislation is not just about passing bills, it includes oversight and
budget allocation.
Sectoral partnerships and coalitions: There is an increasing recognition that narrow, single-organization
efforts are less effective than broad, multi-sectoral coordination processes in advancing evidence-based
advocacy efforts. Strong partnerships and coalitions between governments, NGOs, CSOs, universities and
academic institutions, and more recently, enlisting the private sector, either under the umbrella of
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or as key donors, are widely seen as effective mechanisms for
advancing gender equality.
General corporate social responsibility messages
It is imperative that companies practice social responsibility to uphold their reputations, instill trust among
stakeholders, and sustain the environments and communities in which employees live and work.
No single company, NGO, or government organization can tackle all of the social issues that need
attention; however, a private company has the potential to make an impact on a specific cause that will
East Asia and Pacific Regional UNGEI: Evidence-based advocacy for gender in education, a learning guide 45