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

keep their addresses secret for security reasons; only their public telephone numbers or
e-mail addresses should be listed.
Highest standards of safety must be respected when working with girls. The term
“girls” designates female children up to the age of 18 years, as defined in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Violence against girls is a severe problem. Worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual
assaults are committed against girls under 16 (UNFPA, 2003). An estimated 150 million
girls under the age of 18 suffered some form of sexual violence in 2002 alone (WHO,
2004). The first sexual experience of some 30 percent of women was forced (WHO,
2005). The percentage is even higher among those who were under 15 at the time of
their sexual initiation, with up to 45 percent reporting that the experience was forced.
Girls are also subjected to dating violence and experience abuse at and on their way to
school. Other harmful practices against girls, include 2-3 million a year that are
subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and over 50 million that are
married as children (UNICEF, 2006).
Although many campaigns to end violence against women and girls (VAW) do not
explicitly differentiate between VAW affecting adult women and VAW perpetrated
against girls, it is crucial to bear in mind the following issues that are specific to violence
against girls. Ignoring these issues may cause harm.
� Protecting girls may be challenging, if the perpetrator is a family member or within
the household. Extreme caution should be exhibited in engaging girls where
consent for participation requires the permission of the parent/legal guardian.
� Services may not be youth friendly. If girls are a target of the campaign,
advocates should ensure that services tailored or sensitive to this age group are
available.
� Campaign messaging should not place blame or the burden of protection on girls
themselves. For example, sending messages insinuating that girls may be
victimized if they wear certain clothing or walk in certain locations.
� Campaigns intending to enhance girls “safety” should be designed to empower
girls, being mindful that such campaigns can lead to policing girls more closely
than boys, thus deepening girls’ sense of powerlessness (Betron and Dogget,
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Campaigns December 2011