Background
The brutality and prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) remains a central humanitarian and development concern in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Surveys carried out by CARE in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda reveal a tragically high prevalence of violence against women. In these post-conflict/current conflict settings, women and girls are primary targets for rape and sexual assault, with little recourse for action, advocacy and accountability.
The Great Lakes Advocacy Group (GLAG), comprised of CARE Country Offices in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, seeks to address the root causes of violence against women in the Great Lakes region by increasing the capacity of grassroots communities to advocate against SGBV on the local, national and regional levels.
Marginalized communities, particularly women, have played an important role in organizing against SGBV at the local levels. Despite their courage in the face of on-going violence, their voices seldom reach beyond their villages to the national and regional levels.
Recognizing the courage, wisdom and leadership of women and men from the most marginalized communities, GLAG works towards the following:
- Strengthen SGBV advocacy capacity across CARE’s country offices in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda
- Support grassroots communities, particularly women, across the four countries to impact national and regional policy arenas on SGBV, while also connecting legislative and policy developments to the grassroots level
CARE SGBV Programs in the Region In addition to GLAG’s advocacy, CARE is engaged in SGBV programming across the region. CARE Burundi’s UMWIZERO (A Positive Future for Women in Burundi) program empowers savings and loan solidarity groups to engage in social and political empowerment activities. Women and men in these groups also take on issues of violence in their communities and advocate for greater accountability.
The Gezaho (Stop Violence!) program works with women, local partners and the Ministry of Health to provide medical and psycho-social services and, at the same time, promotes grassroots advocacy, community education and legislative advocacy against violence. In addition to specific SGBV programs, CARE Burundi has engaged in extensive dialogue and learning processes within communities and amongst staff on questions of gender, sexuality and power that have helped increase awareness and accountability on issues of SGBV.
CARE DRC works with women and communities through its PACDEV program. Through savings and loans groups, CARE empowers women to have greater capacity to address violence in their communities. In the last year, PACDEV has dramatically increased its capacity to address some of the difficult issues of SGBV in the country.
CARE Rwanda has empowered women and communities against violence through its POWER and LIBRAP programs. These programs work with women’s groups and communities to address issues of violence, particularly in the ethnically marginalized Batwa community. Women are more aware of their legal rights and better able to address issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape within their communities and with local administrators.
CARE Uganda has an extensive programmatic portfolio in Northern Uganda that works on empowering women in the current Juba peace negotiations. The U.N. 1325 Project, for instance, helps women and girls know their rights under U.N. Security Protocol 1325 and lobby for greater inclusion in all aspects of post- conflict development. Women’s Empowerment for Peace (WEP) targets survivors of violence and supports their capacity to hold various actors on the local, national and international levels accountable for their rights.
More on the Great Lakes Advocacy Group
Phase I of GLAG has focused on increasing organizational advocacy capacity across the four GLAG countries. Key activities have included cross-country staff and partner training on SGBV advocacy, as well as in-country technical assistance. GLAG also shares information about SGBV advocacy across the GLAG countries, as well as in the broader East African region and internationally. This work has resulted in greater staff and organizational capacity to identify and address SGBV.
A second important outcome of GLAG's Phase I work has been the development of a vocal and informed grassroots network of women and men across the four countries. These activists are more empowered to identify the root causes of SGBV, and are more aware of their rights under existing laws and politics. Community members are also more engaged in local-level advocacy by educating community members and demanding accountability for SGBV from local administrators.
GLAG's Phase II will further strengthen the advocacy capacity of grassroots activists across the region, particularly in engaging them at national and regional levels. During November 2007, GLAG is hosting a 3-day meeting of 40 grassroots activists representing among the most marginalized communities from the four countries. This meeting will be an important opportunity for grassroots activists to share their experiences addressing SGBV locally in their conflict/ post-conflict settings and to plan future priorities for local, national and regional advocacy. Particular emphasis will be on supporting activists from the DRC, who face a crisis of escalating SGBV that is destroying women and communities in the East.
Parallel to these grassroots mobilization efforts, GLAG is fostering strategic partnerships with multilaterals, government bodies and women’s networks on the national and regional levels. For instance, CARE actively participates in the SGBV Alliance in Nairobi, which lobbies governments across East Africa to implement policies and legislation that protect against violence. The goal of GLAG’s policy advocacy is to promote more effective links between grassroots movements and policy change.
