Partnerships
Organizations across the world are pushing for an end to the pandemic of violence against women and girls, from the grassroots to the international level. Many of them undertake efforts specifically through media and advocacy to mobilize awareness that galvanizes policy actions and attitudinal change. In the lead up to the 57th Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women initiated a range of communications-focused partnerships with some of them, to broaden the dialogue and awareness on ending violence against women and girls.
Highlights:
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters— a coalition of over 4,000 community radio producers working at the rural and grassroots level—in partnership with UN Women co-produced a series of 20 radio stories on grassroots efforts to end violence against women. From Burkina Faso to Chile, from Nepal to Morocco and the Czech Republic, the voices of organizers and survivors are heard from many corners of the world, telling how their communities are addressing violence against women and girls. The radio stories will be distributed to over 15 million listeners through more than 100 community and Internet radio stations. (http://www2.amarc.org/?q=node/1171)
Working with UN Women, the Guardian Development Site drew special attention to the Commission on the Status of Women by bringing together civil society, Government, and the UN in their popular podcast series. They made recommendations on effective strategies and concrete actions that will accelerate efforts on the ground to address the epidemic of violence against women and girls: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/audio/2013/feb/20/global-development-podcast-violence-against-women
In an editorial partnership with UN Women, the Metro newspaper (available in over 100 cities and reaching urban young audiences) undertook a five-story series on ending violence against women. From the stories of acid burn survivors in Pakistan to that of former child soldiers in Bogota and activists in Iraq, the series illustrates the grim reality faced by many across the world vividly through interviews and graphics, for urban readers.
The NGO World Pulse brings the voices of grassroots women leaders to the forefront through digital campaigns and advocacy-oriented communications initiatives. In an editorial partnership with UN Women, they spotlight grassroots leaders who are on the frontlines, ushering in change in their communities. (http://links.worldpulse.com/CSW2013) with a special focus also on the efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (http://conta.cc/Wp1hwi).