16 Days of Activism – Eliminating Gender Violence
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Source: IRIN/OCHA, © 2005
Georgina Cranston, photographer |
From November 25 through December 10, 2007, the Offices of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH), HIV/AIDS, and Women in Development will commemorate the 17th annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, organized by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University.
Beginning on the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women, encompassing World AIDS Day on December 1, and ending on International Human Rights Day, 16 Days of Activism raises awareness about the violence that women and girls face in our global communities as a result of their unequal status in society and the intersection of violence and public health and development obstacles, such as unmet need for family planning, HIV/AIDS, maternal morbidity, poverty, vulnerability in armed conflict, harmful traditional practices such as female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M), and other challenges to human rights.
This year’s campaign theme is "Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women," which focuses on the efforts to find ways to dismantle obstacles and overcome challenges posed by social attitudes, practices, and policies that continue to condone and perpetuate gender-based violence (GBV). Read more on Gender Violence
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Find Out What USAID Does
Working With an Armenian Health Care Facility
The USAID/Armenia Mission worked with a primary health care facility in Yerevan to improve health providers' response to women who experience GBV. The intervention included provider training; the development of tools and protocols for screening; treatment and referrals of GBV cases; and efforts to link the health facility to other agencies working on GBV, including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), social service centers, legal institutions, and the educational system.
The AMKENI Project: Reducing Gender-Based Violence in Western Kenya
The goal of this project was to increase community awareness of GBV as a way to improve effective family relationships, reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections, and improve reproductive health. Through community involvement, plays, and discussions, the project stimulated rethinking of roles and behaviors that contribute to a culture of violence and generate community-led GBV interventions in western Kenya.
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Source: IRIN/OCHA, © 2005
Georgina Cranston, photographer |
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The South Asia Regional Initiative on Equity for Women and Children
This regional initiative in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka seeks to protect the rights of women and children. It began with a focus on trafficking of women and children and, as of fall 2003, had expanded to address broader issues related to violence against women. Program strategies include services for women and children and efforts to help countries implement existing laws and conventions.
The Women's Legal Rights Initiative
This initiative aims to advance the legal, civil, property, and human rights of women in countries where USAID is working. Its work includes a substantial focus on women's rights with regard to GBV. The initiative helps communities in Guatemala, Albania, Benin, Madagascar, and other southern African countries.
Safe Schools Program
The Safe Schools Program works with partners to ensure that schools are gender-safe, i.e., ensure that all boys and girls have equal opportunity to learn, gain skills through classroom and extracurricular activities, and be psychologically, socially, and physically safe from threats, harassment, sexual coercion, and harm in all parts of the school. Pilot activities have been implemented in Ghana, Malawi, and Jamaica.
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