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

3.6 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
OVERVIEW
Stakeholder analysis examines the groups who are affected by the campaign issue. Its
purpose is to identify the campaign target audiences, as well as other institutions and
people that have a more or less direct stake in the campaign issue, so as to decide on
the campaign strategy and tactics.
Stakeholders are not only persons directly affected by VAW, but everybody with a likely
interest in the campaign outcomes, e.g. parliamentarians, police, justice, health
personnel, and family members, colleagues or other people who are in contact with
VAW survivors or perpetrators. Government institutions at all relevant levels are
routinely part of a stakeholder analysis, as governments have a duty to address violence
against women and girls as a violation of human rights. That includes ministries and
departments of finance, women’s affairs, justice, health, education, interior, labour and
social affairs, among others.
Whether a stakeholder is a potential ally, a target or a likely detractor of the planned
campaign depends on the context and the nature of the campaign. For example, the
Ministry in charge of Public Security may be an ally in a behaviour change campaign
aiming to ensure that rape cases are systematically reported to and effectively handled
by the police. The same Ministry could be the primary target of an advocacy campaign
calling for more effective government implementation of legislation to prevent and
punish rape. It could even be a detractor, for example if high-level officials from that
Ministry feel threatened by a campaign that may publicize cases of police abuse against
women. In some situations, different departments within the same institution may play
different roles in the same campaign. Careful stakeholder analysis is therefore a key
element of effective campaign planning. Key stakeholders should be monitored
throughout the campaign, as they may “change sides” or perform other shifts that the
campaign strategy and tactics must reckon with.
This section presents common tools in stakeholder analysis. It is recommended to work
in a group benefit from rich, diverse perspectives. For more information and tools on
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Campaigns December 2011