“Women’s Leadership Role in Flood Affected Area To End Gender Based Violence”
Background:
25th November marks the beginning of the 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence and 2010 is the 20th successive year for this campaign. The 16 days activism campaign ending on December 10th also highlights other significant dates, including November 29; International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre and finally the international human rights day on December 10th.
Gender-based violence is a harsh reality for many women and girls around the world. It further exacerbates during and in the aftermath of an occurrence of a disaster, where women become more vulnerable to various forms of violence and abuse. This year, Pakistan was hit by the worst ever disaster in its 63 year history. According to statics by the United Nations over 20 million people were affected by the devasting floods that hit different parts of the country. As the disasters rip through the social fabric and physical capital of an area, women’s and girls’ vulnerability to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) also escalates. Keeping the gravity of the situation in view, it is imperative that GBV be taken up in policy circles and that the government and civil society institutions direct maximum resources, attention and efforts to deal with the issue in pre and post disaster situations.
SPO has taken up gender-based violence in eight worst flood affected districts of Pakistan as a theme for the 16 days women leaders’ activism campaign. In this connection SPO will seek to enhance ‘Women’s Leadership Role in Flood Affected Areas to End Gender Based Violence,’ a project supported by UNIFEM.
Project Objective
The objective of this project is to increase the role of women and girls in relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation phase through enhanced leadership skills and protection networks in order to address violence against women and girls in the flood affected areas. The project is also aimed at ensuring that local women’s perspectives are incorporated in the future disaster risk preparedness, mitigation and prevention measures by the line agencies in the government.
The target areas for the project are 08 districts that were affected by the floods (Nowshehra, Dera Ismail Khan, Muzzafargarh, Multan, Rajanpur, Thatta, Sukkar, Naseerabad and Jafferabad) of flood affected four provinces – KPK, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Capacity Building
SPO has embarked upon the project with a three days training of trainers ( organised between 22nd November 2010 to 24th November 2010) given to 16 master trainers (chosen from within the pool of SPO’s existing master trainers currently based in its provincial offices). The training was delivered by Sisters Trust Pakistan. These master trainers will further provide three days intensive training on dealing with GBV in disaster situations to the 30 women leaders in each of the eight target districts.
Local Women Leaders will be trained on ‘how to collectively lobby against the GBV and discrimination against women’. They will be trained on ‘how to seek linkages and network with other networks and line agencies in the government to put an end to violence and discrimination against women in an event of a disaster’. They will be mentored and prepared to take onto the leadership roles beyond the life of this project so that to be able to pass on their skills and knowledge to other women of their area. Main features of the trainings will include ‘tips for advocating for victims of violence against women’, ‘advocating for women in the criminal justice system’, ‘community strategies for preventing violence against women’, ‘liaising effectively with the district relief and rehabilitation committees’ in pre and post disaster situations’ and ‘creating, forging and nurturing alliances and networks’.
Expected Outcome
The project is aimed at eradication of GBV and raising awareness regarding protection of women in disaster situations. It is expected to result in the creation of a cadre of women leaders able to act as mentors for other local women and organizations who seek to end injustice and violence against women.
It is envisioned that these local women leaders will take the lead roles in taking this cause successfully into future beyond the life of this project. These women leaders are expected to be working together on issues concerning women in future. They are expected to inspire more women thereby creating larger groups of women leaders and activists in their constituencies and beyond.
Since one of the key outcomes of this 16 days activism project will be a countrywide women leaders forum with each leader having her own circle of influence within her respective constituency, it is believed that the forum will continue to operate as an organised national level women forum also having deep roots at the district level.
