External Review of ActionAid Bangladesh's Country Strategy Paper-III

OUTCOME-WISE ACTIVITIES
HDRC
External Review of ActionAid Bangladesh’s Country Strategy Paper-III
AAB’s WEGE Theme worked to ensure that: The community is aware that violence against
women is wrong; Community is supportive towards survivors of acid violence and rape;
Easier access to justice for victim of violence, especially family violence, acid violence,
sexual harassment (i.e. rape, teasing, work place harassment, etc.); Rape and acid survivors
are not stigmatized; Community is aware on sexual harassment and its constraining impact on
women’s mobility and job aspirations; and Adoption of policies against sexual harassment in
public and private institution.
However, in 2007, an initiative was taken jointly by SVAW theme of AAB and
SHOUHARDO Project of CARE Bangladesh to pull up all the voices in one platform and to
raise a single voice to enact “Domestic Violence Legislation” in Bangladesh. All these
networks jointly worked on the issues and finally developed a draft policy. A series of
consultations on Draft DV Act and grassroots level sharing of the brief draft on DV Act were
held at different levels with different stakeholders. The National Seminar, organized by AAB
and CARE Bangladesh, was part of that process to comprehensively understand and review
the entire draft and prepare recommendations for further development and immediate
enactment of the Bill.
It was found that domestic violence was acknowledged as a social problem: At the
community level, it has also made a remarkable impact. The people at large are now aware
that violence against women is a problem. Furthermore, they have learnt that they can
collectively address it for the sake of peace and progress in the society. However- in 2007, an
initiative was taken jointly by SVAW theme of AAB and SHOUHARDO Project of CARE
Bangladesh to pull up all the voices in one platform and to raise a single voice to enact
“Domestic Violence Legislation” in Bangladesh.
2.2.3 Rights and Social Justice (GOAL 3)
APPROACH: AAB’s drive to create an inclusive society and culture is at the core of the
“democratic values”; which is nowadays quite well-talked, but hardly a few people
understand the real meaning of the term. AAB concentrates on three themes to attain the
goals under this sector.
DAs AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
During the CSP-III period, AAB worked with 24 NGOs under this Goal in different districts
of the Country.
THEME 1: Diversity and Citizenship.
STRTAEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.1: To assert equal citizenship by those of diverse origins
based on ethnicity, language and religion.
OUTCOME-WISE ACTIVITIES
At present, the theme team is working with four DAs, three non-DA partners and other event
based partners, which work with different communities and issues of Chittagong Hill Tracts,
Dinajpur, Satkhira, Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Chittagong, Tangail and Dhaka district. The
main target audiences and institutions of the theme are adibashi people of both - hill and
v