We have 3 guests and no members online Participation of Network against GBV during the InternationalWomen’s Day  celebration On the 8th March is set aside as the International day for women, The Gambia celebratrates the day on the 23rd- 31st May 2014 the celebration was characterrised by international conference on the theme: ”Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance,in the context of Gender and the Empowerment of Women and Youth”.  Exibition   and march pass were conducted.  Both ocassions was attended by  Her Excellency Vice President and Minister of Women’s Affairs and Her Excellency First Lady Zainab Yahya Jammeh and Hon Ministers and senior government officials. The Network joint  government and civil society organisations that participated in the march pass.  The network was represented at the march pass by its male youth wing called ‘NGBV Youth Platform on He for She Campaign’.  The participation of this group which is ninety nine percent male is to demonstrate that gender based violence is not only about women,equally Men who care can bring about positive change.

These young Men and ladies are committed to end GBV through intesive Information Education and Communication  (IEC) and Behavioral change Comminication( BCC). They were provided with T-shirts having IEC messages on GBV as well as stickers, posters and the Network brochure for distribution as a way of sensitising people about GBV. They also used the occassion to do face-to-face sensitisation targeting men on why they should be concern about GBV.From November 25th (International End Violence Against Women Day) through December 10th (International Human Rights Day), USAID joins the international community for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. During this time IMPACT will highlight USAID’s work to combat gender-based violence. She was abandoned as a baby at a rural hospital in Bihar, India. The hospital, at a loss for what to do with an infant girl, gave her away – to a brothel. Through concerted efforts of an anti-human trafficking organization in India, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, she was adopted and housed at the nonprofit’s shelter for girls.

Thanks to Apne Aap, she escaped the brothel at an early age, rescued from a life of forced prostitution that awaited her. This year she graduated from secondary school. She wants to be a doctor. In a nearby village named Khawaspur, I met a girl about the same age who was living a very different life. Campers For Sale AmarilloDespite significant efforts to remove her from the red light area of the village, she was forced into prostitution at the age of 12. Arctic Cat Oil EquivalentFor the past 5 years she has been living with daily exposure to sexual violence. Fiba Asia Tickets SmForced to lie about her age to authorities, she lives in hollow silence. I saw these two stories with my own eyes, and learned of the cruel cycle that we at USAID try to break:  poverty, women’s systematic exclusion, and a lack of education, among other factors, all contribute to endemic gender-based violence (GBV) and the disproportionate maltreatment of women.   

Endemic GBV and women’s inequality on the other hand threaten the stability and development of any given country or region.  In addition, we know that in conflicts and crises, GBV is more prevalent and these issues are magnified.  This is why USAID continues to be focused on ending GBV. GBV is the violation of human rights on the basis of gender, and encompasses a wide-range of issues including bride kidnapping, sexual violence, and human trafficking. Given the breadth and complexity of the issue, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) helps increase community education, support for prevention and response, and women’s inclusion in political processes – all critical issues that threaten both the stability and rights of citizens, such as GBV. For example, in Kyrgyzstan, where bride kidnappings are a serious issue, OTI partnered with a local NGO to engage students from three universities in the southern city of Osh in discussions on bride kidnapping and recent changes to laws that increase jail time for perpetrators.

Young women – and men – are uninformed about bride kidnapping laws and the legal process, and women often face stigma from communities and families when attempting to resist captivity.  With OTI’s support, the local organization activity utilized street theater performances, t-shirts, brochures, and public service announcements to empower students to take a stand against bride kidnapping and serve as an example for others.  In addition to confronting bridal kidnapping, the program functioned as part of a larger effort to address sources of instability and support the democratic transition, In Burma, OTI supports a local organization to conduct a qualitative study on violence against women.  Women’s rights organizations plan to utilize the findings to enhance service and response mechanisms and support prevention and response programs around the country. To address sexual violence in Sri Lanka, OTI-supported youth led more than 1,000 individuals in protests against sexual violence, with representation from diverse ethnic and religious groups from six districts across Sri Lanka.  

Support for these youth groups was delivered through OTI’s Sexual Assault Forensic Evaluation (SAFE) program. In addition to these activities directly addressing gender-based violence, the Office of Transition Initiatives supports a number of other initiatives as components of transition programming in countries including Syria, Tunisia, Afghanistan, and Burma. These initiatives promote women’s participation in the political process, build the role of women in government and civil society, and raise awareness on critical issues impacting women and girls. Inclusion of women in transition processes will promote their positions as equal stakeholders in democracy, and encourage prevention of gender-based violence. In conflict and crisis environments, providing an inclusive platform for those impacted by sexual violence to become agents of change in their own communities is critical for protecting the rights and security of individuals, and for the development of legitimate political processes.