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

For further information, see the Do No Harm project and the Do No Harm blog which
has stories, photos and videos of project lessons and activities.
Campaigns on VAW tend to increase demand for direct support to VAW survivors, as
women who have not dared to report their experience of VAW may feel encouraged to
seek support. It is critical therefore that campaigns, particularly those that focus on
awareness-raising, not be undertaken unless survivors and other community
members have access to minimum services (health, protection and legal) or referrals
to get the support they may need. In many instances, outreach or advocacy may result
in a woman or girl speaking out about her abuse for the very first time, and prompt
counseling and care should be made readily available, in line with ethical standards.
If inadequate or no support services are available, it may be advisable to start with
projects or advocacy campaigns for the establishment of organizations
supporting VAW survivors. Another option would be to re-frame the campaign to call
for justice, and address inequities faced by women and girls in their daily lives, rather
than to directly address VAW. Multi-country studies have shown that long-term efforts
for greater equality between women and men are critical to reducing women’s risk of
experiencing abuse and to ending VAW (WHO, 2009. Promoting Gender Equality to
Prevent Violence against Women).
If protection and support services are available to survivors, it is also crucial for
campaigners to work to establish links and co-ordinate activities with the
organizations which provide such services, e.g. counseling centers, women’s
shelters and police and judicial officials trained to deal with VAW-related issues. Keep
an up-to-date list of addresses and telephone numbers where survivors can be referred
to, and regularly share information with service providers as the campaign progresses.
Practical advice – the triple “A” test:
Check whether the support survivors can obtain from the service providers identified is
accessible, affordable and acceptable (3 A’s). Keep lists of appropriate (“3A”) service
providers with their contact details, and update and distribute them regularly among
campaigners. Care needs to be taken not to divulge addresses of women’s shelters that
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Campaigns December 2011