@joan
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Hello everyone,
Its a pleasure E-meeting you!! My name is Joan Lanyero Rachael from Kampala, Uganda. I am a Social Worker working on a Women’s Empowerment Programme and addressing Intimate Partner Violence. I am really excited and looking forward to the course and would like to learn more about working with Couples in GBV prevention.Community sensitization or awareness sessions, women only spaces, training of Community Activists who engage community men and women in reflection sessions, VSLA & IGA groups, grassroot to national and regional advocacy on laws and policies like engagement of local government officials to carry out their mandate, Parliamentarians, working with other GBV networks and clusters at all levels, media use – radio, couple engagement and livelihood programmes.
overall, the risk factors and triggers in Mercy’s story are very similar, only difference would include; harmful traditional practices like widow inheritance, FGM, refusal of sex in marriage, infidelity, loss of jobs or unemployment, religious differences, COVID-19 and its implications, armed conflict e.g formerly the LRA war, encampment due to displacement, lack of ownership of other resources like land – only have access but can not control or own it.
Gender inequality reinforces VAW in the following ways;
1. The boys being valued than the girls e.g playing football while girls are cooking, going to school while girls stay at home, girls being looked at as liability in the sense that they are married off and will give birth. This compromises and automatically demeans the girls while placing the boys at a higher level in getting good jobs like being a doctor and thus earning better than girls if at all they get a job!! This therefore reinforces VAW like economic violence as you are denied education, better income, emotional as you keep comparing and wonder what life would be like.
2. At community level – the socialization of patriarchy, boys and men looked at as the ones who are vital affects the way community looks at this as normal and okay and thus perpetuates VAW e.g women are beaten and nothing is done about it.1. Accountable to women and girls;
Engage the women and girls through participatory approaches at programme design and through out the entire Programme life cycle; continuous asset mapping, baseline, implementation of the project as Activists, consultation meetings, evaluations, feedback sessions from the appropriate feedback and complaint mechanisms and responding to any complaints with reflections on the complaints mechanism policy or pathway while protecting them, providing safeguarding information, working with Women centred organizations.2. Gender Power Analysis;
Conducting a gender power analysis is done at baseline and continuously in the programme life cycle so that we are able to identify and respond to the different needs of women and girls in a timely way through analysis of the gendered power dynamics between males and females. This thus informs programming to be adaptive and safe depending on what the results are and responding to it that improves the safety and dignity of women and girls. understanding the barriers’ to women’s participation and access to services.3. Inclusive and intersectional
Our programme is all inclusive and does not discriminate (race, sex, religion, tribe, nationality, gender, age) as we believe in ones dignity being respected and human rights upheld. Women and girls are at the centre of our programme, this does not mean we do not work with men and boys. We do work with them as allies and acknowledge that we have to work everyone as VAW prevention is everyone’s responsibility as it harms everyone. Violence is thus not condoned whether perpetrated towards a female or male, our programme responds to this and also ensures same sex interviews. We are also very cognisant of the different needs of the groups like women with HIV, disabled and put in place strategies to ensure easy access to programme interventions in terms of location or venue – have rumps, interpreters, encurage caretakers to bring or guide the disabled to the venue, venue within the same location so that people do not have to move fr long distances, timeliness of our programme , we use the local language that the community understands,4. Prioritize safety of women and girls
Minimise and mitigate potential backlash by identification of safety risks assessments, constraints to access of services, safety planning, referral pathways, lists, directories development and functionality (shared during all interventions, engagements and during data collection), use of women only safe spaces so that they can discuss their own concerns, having interventions in safe locations, ending at appropriate time giving them enough time to get home before dark and reducing further violence as a result of not being able to do the whore chores. Safeguarding policies, code of conduct implemented by staff, share feedback and complaints handling mechanisms, identification and use of feedback mechanisms and PSEA. Working in a multi-sectoral approach – coordinated, networked and collaborative way with actors working on GBV prevention and response.5. Starting with ourselves;
Capacity building of staff to increase knowledge and skills on GBV prevention and response (survivor centerdness, GBV programming, guiding principles, GBV core competencies through trainings, onsite mentorship and support visits, exchange learning visits, Community of Practice sessions, GBV working group/cluster/network sessions.Staff care and support through proactively including a line on staff care and support in the project proposals, work plans, funding it – allocate resources. Having it as an organizational duty so that its looked at as legal or moral obligation to protect, mitigate and address any foreseeable risks that may harm staff. Recruitment processes; include budget for sufficient staff, working with Women centered organizations, PSEA for staff and programme participants, building a culture of staff care and support, setting clear boundaries, clear induction processes, JDs, hours of work, leave being an entitlement and taken not forfeiting it due to lack of time to take it or work load, health insurance schemes, team building sessions.
