Combating Gender-Based Violence: A Key to Achieving the MDGS

This advocacy kit outlines the problem of gender-based violence, explores its linkages to poverty, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and conflict, and discusses its impact on a nation's development. According to the publication, gender equality is considered to play a pivotal role in achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of goals and indicators formally adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The third goal among the eight MDGs seeks to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women through the education of the girl child.

The Network of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians has made a commitment to combating gender-based violence (GBV) by taking the lead in developing interventions including: drafting and lobbying for appropriate legislation; raising awareness through advocacy; building partnership by enhancing national, regional and international networks; and raising community awareness about gender-based violence. The goal is to mobilise leadership at the national, regional and global levels to make violence unacceptable. This kit aims to be a contribution to the realisation of the Network’s goals. It refers to international commitments made by governments combined with other regional and international instruments, which they can use to mount national campaigns to halt gender-based violence.

The kit may be used as a practical tool for policymakers to address issues of concern, advocate for the protection of women from all forms of violence, reinforce legal mechanisms that will protect women at the national level and end the impunity with which crimes are committed against women. The plan of action focuses on advocacy through public campaigns against gender- based violence to change policy and practice at the local, national and regional level. The kit is divided into four parts:

• Gender-based violence and poverty;
• Gender-based violence and reproductive health;
• Gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS; and
• Gender-based violence and conflict situations.

The kit strives to present the current issues in gender-based violence in a concise and user-friendly fashion.