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

ather than as potential victims that must be protected – contributes to their
empowerment, and acknowledges and values their contribution to society.
Providing information to VAW survivors: Women and girls who have survived VAW
need to know that they are entitled to receive support and redress, and how they can
claim these rights. Focused public awareness-raising and information campaigns can
disseminate such information and encourage survivors to use appropriate services and
demand justice. See also Providing access to VAW prevention and response services
section and the Public awareness and education (implementing laws) section in the
Legislation module.
A growing body of evidence shows that well-designed information campaigns that
combine public advertisements (e.g. posters) and community mobilization succeed in
prompting increased use of services by VAW survivors.
LESSONS ON APPROACHES
Promoting multi-sector, multi-level approaches: Virtually all sectors of society can
contribute to addressing VAW – e.g. health services, education systems, courts of
justice, police, armed forces, religious and other traditional authorities. An effective
campaign needs to reach all sectors relevant to its themes and goals, and intervene at
multiple levels so as to mobilize a wide range of individuals, local groups, government
institutions and other decision-makers for change.
Example: The annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, first
launched by the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, has become an
international annual event that rallies activists, government leaders, students, academia
and the private sector in many countries around the world to demand an end to violence.
It has created links and synergy among a wide range of initiatives around the world.
See the 16 Days site dedicated to youth from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Combining approaches in multi-pronged strategies: Both policy and institutional
change, and transformation in individual attitudes and behaviour are needed to end
VAW. Policy/Institutional change, such as more effective enforcement of laws
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Campaigns December 2011