Campaigns to End Violence against Women and Girls - Virtual ...

Women (Radhika Coomaraswamy) had requested to visit Gujarat, but did not obtain
permission from the Indian government.
As an alternative tactic, women’s rights activists mobilized to form the International
Initiative for Justice in Gujarat, with the objective of assessing the redress of
violations during the violence, and the applicability of an international law perspective. A
panel of 9 women lawyers and rights activists undertook a thorough investigation in
Gujarat on whether perpetrators were held accountable, and whether redress and
compensations were made available to women victims, who still lived in self-run camps
nine months after the violence. The team produced a high quality 100-page report and a
50-page summary in English, Gujarati and Hindi languages, which was distributed
widely in-country and presented at high-profile press conferences involving law experts
and celebrities, and international venues. The document, titled “Threatened existence –
a feminist analysis of the genocide in Gujarat” was extensively used as a reference by
gender advocates and human rights activists.
Read the press release
See other publications
Another creative and effective tactic to raise public awareness on an issue is the mock
public tribunal.
Example: The Nigerian women’s human rights group BAOBAB and the Civil Resource
Development and Documentation Centre organized the first National Tribunal on
Violence against Women on March 14th 2001 in the capital city of Abuja. The tribunal
was unofficial and not legally binding, but the testimonies would be real – 33 women
were selected to testify. Some of them had volunteered, and many agreed to share their
experiences when they realized this may have a positive impact on their families and
communities. They testified about their experience of violence from the state, in the
home, and from society as a whole.
The judges were selected based on their prominence and their concern for women’s
rights. They included two Supreme Court Justices, several heads of NGOs, and
prominent lawyers. The tribunals were open to the public, and the organizers took
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Campaigns December 2011