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16 Days of Activism across Cordaid worldwide

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Every year, the 25th November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, as well as the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The multi-year campaign, managed by UN Women “calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, young people, the private sector, media, and the UN system to join forces to address the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.” The 16 Days campaign ends on the 10th December, International Human Rights Day.

Here are some of Cordaid’s highlights from the 16 Days of activism 2023.

Burundi

The Cordaid Burundi team organised a community awareness meeting and legal caravan called ‘All together, invest to prevent violence against women and girls’.

More than 85 community leaders and over 300 participants (both women and men) from the Cibitoke province joined these sessions to increase awareness of the rights and procedures surrounding sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Cibitoke.

“We women need to know the types of violence and how to file complaints. The economic independence of women is also important to effectively combat this violence.”~ Nzituwukuze Jeanine Furaha.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Alongside International Alert, the Cordaid team in the DRC has been working with 40+ organisations in the INGO Forum (FONGI) to address the devastating pandemic of S/GBV (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence) targeted at women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Between 2021 and 2022 the number of reported cases of gender-based violence doubled from 40,000 to over 80,000. In the first three months of 2023, over 31,000 cases were reported” according to CARE.

And those are just the reported cases.

CARE’s Rapid Gender Analysis report indicates that most cases of S/GBV are not reported due to he fear of: stigmatisation, exclusion, retaliation, rejection, and a culture of impunity.

For the Democratic Republic of the Congo to prosper, S/GBV must be eliminated and women must be given the right to equitable participation in peace processes.

Photo taken by Eric Tshamala in Katogota, a village in South Kivu as part of the Just Future project. In 2000, 375 people were killed in Katogota. The woman pictured is one of the survivors of the massacre. Survivors attended the 23rd anniversary of the atrocity as witnesses to these acts of violence (including S/GBV) to ensure that such violence is never normalised.

South Sudan

Colleagues from the South Sudan office marked the start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (GBV) by attending an event at the Dutch Embassy.

Everyone has a role to play in working towards ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). In South Sudan, Cordaid colleagues are committed to the principles and ideals which promote the safety and well-being of everyone, including women and children.

“We recognise the gender risks that come with the precariousness of our working environment and constantly look at ways of, not only mitigating them, but also finding inclusive solutions towards sustainable outcomes on eliminating (S)GBV in the long run.” ~ Tom Otieno, Country Director of the South Sudan office.

Inclusive and sustainable solutions to ending (S)GBV are only possible when women are involved in decision making. That’s why Cordaid is part of the Just Future Alliance which recently hosted a workshop for women leaders in Mundri West Equatoria State on safeguarding women’s rights in the constitution-making process.

Our Just Future project in South Sudan aims to promote inclusivity when addressing (S)GBV by involving both men and women in dialogue. At a project level, the root of causes of (S)GBV are also addressed, for instance, by aiming to reduce poverty and to assist women in becoming economically independent.