Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation: A Guide to Action for Religious Leaders and Communities (ECPAT/Religions for Peace, 2016)
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the Internet have become an integral part of modern life, and play an important role in the educational and social development of children. However, they also expose children to new and evolving forms of sexual exploitation. Child sexual exploitation has soared in recent years as reflected by the ever-increasing production and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) due to the use of more advanced ICTs by perpetrators. According to police reports, the number of CSAM now in circulation is staggering. Practices such as 'sexting' (the self-production and sharing of sexualised messages or images) also place children at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. The SDGs provide a historic opportunity to prioritise efforts and investments to eliminate online child sexual exploitation (OCSE). This guide recognises that faith-based organisations and religious leaders are in a unique position to mobilise moral authority on this issue, influence thinking, generate debate and set standards for others to follow. Click here for full report ...
Le rôle des leaders religieux dans la réalisation de la justice de genre (Side by Side Brief, 2018)
Ce brief a été réalisé par Side by Side, un mouvement global de leaders religieux, d’organisations confessionnelles et d’individus religieux dévoués à lutter contre les injustices liées au genre. Il s’agit d’une contribution à la discussion émergente concernant le rôle distinctif des représentants religieux et confessionnels dans la promotion de la justice de genre. Ce brief expose le contexte et les défis auxquels nous devons répondre, et présente des exemples où les leaders confessionnels font partie de la solution plutôt que du problème. Il conclut en proposant des recommandations aux leaders religieux, à la société civile, aux gouvernements et aux organisations intergouvernementales. Cliquez ici pour le brief complet ...
The Role of Faith Leaders in Achieving Gender Justice (Side by Side Advocacy Briefing, 2018)
Side by Side is a global movement of faith leaders and communities, faith-based organisations and individuals of faith, who are committed to removing barriers to gender justice. This advocacy briefing is offered as a contribution to the emerging conversation about the distinctive role of faith representatives in advocating for gender justice. It sets out the context and the challenges to be addressed, and then shows with examples how faith leaders have been, and can be, part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It concludes with recommendations to faith leaders, governments and inter-governmental organisations. Click here for full briefing ...
A Feminist Action Framework on Development and Digital Technologies (APC Issue Paper, 2017)
Through a feminist lens that brings together economic justice and gender justice concerns, this paper traces the key elements of the right to access, right to knowledge and right to development in the network society context. It highlights how this three-pronged approach to scoping the “right to communicate” can serve as a guiding framework for feminist analysis and action at the intersections of gender, digital technologies and development. The paper outlines strategic directions for feminist advocacy in relation to information and communications technologies (ICTs), at different scales and spaces – global, national and local ...
The Political Participation of Armenian Women with Disabilities: Barriers and Recommendations (IFES/AGATE Report, 2018)
This report provides insights into the challenges that hinder the participation of Armenian women with disabilities and identifies the means to address them. To conduct the research, Agate utilized IFES’ Intersectionality Assessment Framework, organizing participatory focus group discussions with men and women with disabilities and their peers from urban and rural areas of Armenia. Armenian women with disabilities identified various attitudinal, communication, environmental and institutional barriers to participation in formal political spaces and in the recent demonstrations that led to a change of political leadership. Women with hearing disabilities noted that they did not participate in political campaigns because they did not have access to information about candidates and the process. The report found that women with disabilities are not participating in formal political spaces equally with their peers. The attitude of the public, Armenian patriarchal society and family indifference also increase the likelihood of women with disabilities becoming marginalized from political processes. Even so, it revealed that building confidence in women with disabilities and raising awareness of rights would provide a critical foundation to overcoming their inner fears and building their capacity to participate as voters, candidates, observers, and other leaders in political life. Finally, when women with disabilities have the opportunity to ...
Voices of the Marginalised – Bangladesh and Tanzania (ADD, 2016)
There is very little qualitative and quantitative data on disability-related issues worldwide. 'Voices of the Marginalised' is a pioneering research study aimed at understanding the specific challenges faced by men and women with disabilities and older people, living in two different countries – Bangladesh and Tanzania. The stories collected in each report tell of the experiences of older people and persons with disabilities in one country, at one moment in time, providing valuable testimony of the considerable equality and poverty challenges they face – in particular in securing livelihoods; accessing public services; living free of discrimination, bullying, harassment and violence; and accessing justice. The methodology chosen was a community-based participatory approach. Click here for full study ...
Inclusive Civic Engagement Toolkit (Inclusion International, 2015)
This toolkit was developed as part of an Inclusion International project, Accessing the Ballot Box, funded by the UN Democracy Fund. The project was designed to address the limited political participation of people with intellectual disabilities in Kenya, Zanzibar and Lebanon. It sought to identify and challenge the barriers people with intellectual disabilities face in exercising their right to civic engagement and political participation and increase the awareness and knowledge of project stakeholders (people with intellectual disabilities, their families and representative organizations, service providers and governments) on building inclusive democratic processes. While the project was focused on three countries, the tools and resources have been designed to be applicable in ALL countries. The limited political participation of people with intellectual disabilities is a result of a number of factors – law, policy and practice. Even in countries where no legal prohibition exists, the data suggests that political participation remains low. Political participation is not simply the act of casting a ballot on election day. Political participation – happens before, during and after elections. To increase political participation and to help shape inclusive civic engagement, our focus, too, must extend beyond the ballot box to look at what inclusive political participation means and how people with ...
Adolescents with disabilities: enhancing resilience and delivering inclusive development (GAGE Consortium Report, 2018)
This new report takes stock of what is known about adolescents with disabilities living in the global South. Drawing on interviews with approximately 600 adolescent girls and boys with physical, visual, hearing or intellectual impairments, as well as interviews with their parents, teachers and other service providers, it also presents emerging findings from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) research programme in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Jordan and the State of Palestine. This report focuses, for the first time, on the intersection of age and disability – specifically the unique needs of adolescents with disabilities – and the gender dynamics that shape girls’ and boys’ lives. Alongside this, it also looks at the particular experiences of adolescents with disabilities who grow up in rural areas and conflict-affected contexts. Click here for more details and full report ...
‘What Violence Means to Us: Women with Disabilities Speak’ (Inclusive Friends and NSRP Research Study, 2015)
There is growing recognition in Nigeria and across the world of the need to protect and promote the rights of women and people with disabilities in times of relative peace, insecurity and violent conflict. Through treaties, resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly, as well as national policies – including National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security – countries have committed to ensuring that conflict resolution, security operations and peacebuilding policies and practices are inclusive. However, to date, this commitment has not translated to positive and genuine impact experienced by women with disabilities, who face double marginalisation due to their gender and their disability. Very little research has been conducted on women with disabilities and their specific experiences of conflict and violence. As a result, many government and civil society policies, programmes and services do not take these realities into account. Click here for full study ...
A cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of community mobilisation and advocacy on men’s use of violence in periurban South Africa: study protocol (BMJ Open 8(3), 2018)
This paper describes the design and methods of a cluster randomised controlled trial (C-RCT) to determine the effectiveness of a community mobilisation intervention that is designed to reduce the perpetration of violence against women (VAW). Methods and analysis: A C-RCT of nine intervention and nine control clusters is being carried out in a periurban, semiformal settlement near Johannesburg, South Africa, between 2016 and 2018. A community mobilisation and advocacy intervention, called Sonke CHANGE is being implemented over 18 months. It comprises local advocacy and group activities to engage community members to challenge harmful gender norms and reduce VAW. The intervention is hypothesised to improve equitable masculinities, reduce alcohol use and ultimately, to reduce VAW. Intervention effectiveness will be determined through an audio computer-assisted self-interview questionnaire with behavioural measures among 2600 men aged between 18 and 40 years at baseline, 12 months and 24 months. The primary trial outcome is men’s use of physical and/or sexual VAW. Secondary outcomes include harmful alcohol use, gender attitudes, controlling behaviours, transactional sex and social cohesion. Click here for full paper ...
The impacts of war on the participation of women in civil society organization and peace building (AWAM Development Foundation and Oxfam, 2017)
“Women leaders for Peace ” is one of the significant projects implemented by AWAM foundation in partnership with Oxfam and YLDF during 2017-2018. The project aims to enhance women participation in peacebuilding on the national and local levels. This study is considered one of the essential activities in the project. It is intended to shed the light on the impact of war on women and CSOs during the armed conflict period, in order to raise its recommendations to decision makers at international and national levels. Click here for full report ...
National Study on the Drivers of Violence against Children in Swaziland – Synthesis of Findings (UNICEF, 2016)
A comprehensive qualitative study exploring the drivers of violence affecting children in Swaziland aims to shed light on why violence against children is happening and to make recommendations on what can be done to prevent it. The National Study on the Drivers of Violence against Children in Swaziland report, launched 18 May 2017, identifies key drivers linked to increased risk of violence against children – including gender inequality and entrenched social norms preventing disclosure of family ‘secrets’ – and lays out policy recommendations focusing on improving legal frameworks and creating safe protective settings for children. The study follows the Research to Policy and Practice Process (R3P) methodology developed by UNICEF Innocenti’s ongoing Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children and improves upon it with the collection of new qualitative data on contributing factors of violence affecting children. The study was carried out by the University of Edinburgh, in partnership with The University of Swaziland, UNICEF Swaziland and with support from the Swaziland Deputy Prime Minister’s Office. The report is a follow-up to the ground-breaking 2007 quantitative national study on violence against children in Swaziland. Click here for findings ...