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

The Moroccan campaign (beginning in the 1990’s) for the amendment of Islamic
family law (the Moudawana) obtained significant legal changes that enhanced
women’s rights in marriage and divorce. (Source: Alexandra Pittman, with the
support of Rabea Naciri, Cultural Adaptations: The Moroccan Women's Campaign to
Change the Moudawana, Institute of Development Studies, 2007.)
� To provoke a shift in social norms over a period of time: evaluations of VAW
campaigns suggest that well-designed campaigns can prompt significant change in
attitudes and social norms related to VAW. However, there is not necessarily a direct
link between changes in knowledge and attitudes and changes in violent behaviours,
which depends on a multiplicity of factors. The World Health Organization notes
about media campaigns for example: “Media campaigns have proven successful in
increasing knowledge of intimate partner violence and influencing attitudes towards
gender norms, but less is known about their ability to reduce violent behaviour, as it
is difficult to measure potential changes in levels of violence associated with media
interventions. Research shows, however, that the most successful media
interventions are those that begin by understanding the behaviour of their audience
and engaging its members in developing the intervention” (WHO, 2009. Promoting
Gender Equality to Prevent..).
Campaigns therefore, while important elements in any fight to tackle gender-based
violence, in and of themselves, are insufficient to eradicate the problem. Instead, it
takes a multi-sector multi-pronged effort, including campaigns, legislation, services
and community-level interventions, to truly reduce violence against women and girls.
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Campaigns December 2011