@atusaye
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Interventions on VAWG prevention (as opposed to response) with more attention given to changing social norms and behaviours, reducing exposure to childhood abuse, tackling power imbalances (i.e. using power as the entry point rather than gender, interrogating both its positive and negative uses), increasing women’s economic empowerment, working with men and boys and with researchers. The activities should engage men and boys on harmful masculinities, including use of violence.
The factors and triggers seems to apply in my community, however, variations could only come in when it comes to intersectionality of cultural and religious socialization that influences the way women experience power and control and how they apply the equality principle. Religious and cultural misperceptions about human relationships intensify unequal relationships in my community as these are key to the formation of women’s and men’s identities and roles.
In what ways does gender inequality enable violence in Mercy’s life and community?
By reinforcing exclusionary social norms that undermine women and girl’s opportunities for education, income and independence. For instance, in Mercy’s life and community gender inequality started from her childhood, robbed her childhoods and limit the chances of girls in her community. Mercy and a number of girls in her community are denied their rights, kept from school, forced to marry and subjected to violence. The gender discrimination displayed in Mercy’s life and community gives unequal treatment, including privilege and priority, on the basis of gender. It appears there is deeply entrenched gender prejudices from the moment girls are born where girls and boys face unequal gender norms regarding expectations and access to resources and opportunities, with lifelong consequences in their homes, schools and communities. For example, in Mercy’s life and community boys are encouraged to go to school and get an education to prepare for work, while girls carry heavy household responsibilities that keep them from school, increasing the odds of child marriage and pregnancy.
In what ways could violence worsen gender inequalities in her life?
Violence is both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality. As observed from Mercy’s case study, violence shift power relations within her households and community. This can result into abuse of the power imbalance between her and her husband. This can become a means for her husband and the community at large to use it as a social control norm that maintains unequal power relations between women and men and reinforce women’s subordinate status. Violence against could be is used to enforce gender roles and norms, assume that women are inferior to men, and that men have the right to control women. As a result, gender inequalities could be perpetuated across generations.
Accountable to women and girls: Our intervention packages strengthened formal and informal justice services to ensure that they are accessible, responsive and accountable to women and children’s needs. The programme attained this by working with Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs) who implemented Survivor Support Fund (SSF) initiative; an innovative and unique intervention which supported survivors to gain and access support.
Based in a gender-power analysis: The adaptation of programme activities were informed by the programme’s Gender Inclusion Power and Politics (GIPP) analysis.
Inclusive and intersectional: The programme considered that the experiences of women and girls differ depending on many factors including disability. Therefore, we actively considered intersectionality and identified opportunities to work with the most marginalised. The program approach we used (Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)) allowed us to tailor our activities to respond to the unique, real and changing needs of the target groups.
Prioritising the safety of women and girls: We empowered girls and women across their lifecycles by expanding their choices, improving the services available to them, and enabling them to decide themselves how to engage with support services.
Starting with ourselves: As a programme team and our Implementing Partners (IPs) we continuously reflected on our own attitudes and beliefs around gender, power, privilege, and violence and how this impacted our work. We used our power positively by influencing others to use to unlearn harmful masculinities including negative attitudes, beliefs and social norms.