2012- 2014
PROGRAMME
REPORT
CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME!
‘We Can End All Violence Against Women’
Spearheading the social transformation –
from self to collective
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Message from Chairperson .................................................................................. 01
2. Message from Executive Director........................................................................ 01
3. WE CAN Executive Board.................................................................................... 01
4. About WE CAN..................................................................................................... 02
5. WE CAN History................................................................................................... 02
6. We Can - Global Campaign.................................................................................... 03
7. Core Values............................................................................................................ 04
8. WE CAN outreach in Pakistan............................................................................... 05
9. WE CAN Programmes and Projects........................................................... 06
9.1. We Can Project Direct .............................. ..................................... 06
9.2. Engendering Change Project............................................................ 07
9.3. Its my Right Make it Right Campaign.............................................. 09
9.4. Research - I am One I am Many....................................................... 11
9.5. Creating Safer Districts for Women................................................. 12
9.6. Prevention of early marriage………………………………............ 14
10.
World Bank Blog ……....................................................................................... 15
11.
Dedicated to We Can team................................................................................. 16
2
Message from the chairperson
‘We Can’ is an incredible and resilient
organization. What makes it unique
from the others, is the fact that 500,
000 people and partners across
Pakistan have made it a reality from a
mere vision that Oxfam conceived in
2005. Now a decade later, it is resiliently
not only sustained but also is working as
a registered organization. It continues to
carry on the efforts to catapult violence
in all forms and build a harmonious,
peaceful and equal right based society.
Here I would like to appreciate the
support extended by ‘Oxfam’ in assisting
in the establishment process, and for its
technical support in corroborating the
organization as it grows.
Message from the Executive Director:
It gives me immense pleasure to share
with you the first ever programme
report of We Can, which not only
encompasses its journey of change in
Pakistan since 2005 but also outlines its
achievements in reducing gender based
violence and promoting rights of all,
through advocacy against stereotyping
and right of inclusiveness as an
independent organization. Although my
official engagement with ‘We Can’ as an
Executive Director began by the end of
2014, but my personal affiliations with
the cause and the campaign itself go
way beyond. I was among the first
change makers of Dera Gazi Khan, who
welcomed the campaign to end honour
killing and violence against women back
in 2005, since then the campaign has
successfully travelled a long road and
has covered so many significant
milestones. I believe that the over a
period of decade the campaign has
gained tremendous strength through
the 500, 000 men and women who have
transformed their own lives as change
makers and continue to make it their
mission to promote equal rights and
reduce violence against women on
complete volunteer basis. The success of
the
behavioural
change
model
introduced through the campaign in
South Asia is evident from the fact that
now the campaign has gone global, and
on
similar
lines
16
countries
independently are working for social
transformation using We Can South Asia
as an example.
The future of the organization and its
work in Pakistan is very bright, the time
is ripe for ramping the programme, and
for reaching out to millions more
through networking, collaboration and
active efforts. Here I would also like to
appreciate the current and former
dedicated team members and partners
across Pakistan who have worked so
hard for building the organization and
its purpose and are committed to take it
to the next level.
We Can Executive Board
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mr. Wasi Hyder Shah
Mr. Raheel Waqar
Ms. Saadia Nazly
Ms. Naeema Malik
Mr. Ghaffar Hyder
Ms. Feroza Zahra
About ‘We Can’
‘We Can’ is an advocacy focused Non –
government, Non- profit organization,
registered under the Societies ACT XXI
of 1860. It promotes mitigation of social
disparity and discrimination of women
and other marginalized groups in the
society by changing attitudes and
perceptions that provoke violence and
prejudice. ‘We Can’s premise is
inclusiveness of all stakeholders and
promotion of equal rights for peace and
prosperity in the society.
‘We Can’ (initially a campaign) has an
extremely enriched and long standing
history not only in Pakistan but also in
five other countries of South Asia. The
campaign since the very onset has been
working to reduce social acceptance of
gender based violence in South Asia
through mobilization and awareness
raising, using a unique behavioural
change model. The campaign was
initially launched by OXFAM back in
2005 and over the period of six years it
emerged
as
an
independent
organization with extensive on-ground
presence. Currently, a ‘We Can’ global
alliance has been established which
represents 16 independent We Can
campaign counties around the world
and Pakistan is also an active member.
In
Pakistan,
‘We
Can’
is
a
coalition/consortium of partners that
include NGOs, Community Based
Organizations
and
civil
society
organizations at national, provincial,
district, thesil, union council and village
level. It has an outreach in 4 provinces
and is working in 47 districts across the
country.
Our vision of gender equality involves
working with women to gain more
power over their lives. And this will
happen through change in attitudes,
ideas and beliefs about gender relations,
and through increased levels of
women’s active engagement and critical
leadership in communities, institutions,
decision making and changes processes.
The process is led by agents of Change
known as ‘ Change makers’, men and
women who pledges to refrain from
violence in his/her own life and to
convince ten other people to become
Change Makers. The current social
capital of the campaign is of more than
550,000 change makers.
Change
Makers – men, women and children
actively encourage more positive
attitudes and behaviour towards
women within the communities they
live and work, by providing alternative
norms – to facilitate attitudinal change
on violence against women. They
recognise that change can be stimulated
but not forced. The campaign caters to
all communities irrespective of class,
religion and ethnicity. Campaign
touches on all forms of gender based
violence,
discrimination,
sexual
harassment and all other crimes against
women.
‘We Can’ History
‘We Can End All Violence Against
Women Campaign’ was originally an
Oxfam initiated campaign launched in
six countries of South Asia including
Pakistan back in 2005. From the outset,
4
the campaign introduced the concept of
Change Makers – people who commit to
help to achieve change to end violence
against women. The campaign urged
people to become Change Makers and
effect change from a personal level. At
the same time, the campaign recruited
allies – organizations that support the
We Can campaign.
Over the period six years, a large corpus
of human resource was capacitated as
‘Change makers’ to recognise all the
forms of violence and discrimination
provoked by cultural connotations in
the society. These front line change
agents then spearhead the paradigm
shift in attitudes at collective level.
In 2011, Oxfam GB formally handed
over the campaign to country level core
group of partners and change makers. In
Pakistan campaign allies, change makers
and core group partners displayed firm
commitment to the cause and got it
formally registered.
‘We Can’ - Global Campaign
In 2004, the ‘We Can’ Campaign was
launched in South Asia. It was initially
conceived as a six-year campaign with
the objective of reducing the social
acceptance of violence against women in
six countries: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Nepal, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
We Can goals were to be achieved
through a range of local, national and
regional alliances working together to
end violence against women. Through
the activities of allies and Change
Makers, the campaign worked to
establish a grass roots shift in people’s
thinking about violence against women.
The campaign quickly built momentum
across South Asia and today there are
over three million Change Makers and
over 3,000 allies in the region. As the
campaign grew and achieved success,
people in other countries became
interested in starting the campaign in
their country. Through these initiatives,
We Can campaigns were started in
Kenya, Uganda, Netherlands, Canada
and other countries.
By 2010, it was clear that We Can would
continue for more than six years and
that the campaign had traction across
the world. A group of individuals
working closely with the We Can
campaign met in India in early 2010 and
again in March 2011 in Nepal to
consider the future needs of We Can.
The
Nepal
meeting
included
representatives of We Can alliances
from 11 countries.
It was agreed at this meeting that a
Global Network was needed to maintain
and foster communication between
independent, national campaigns, and to
work towards creating a global identity
for the We Can campaign. This global
working group made plans to launch the
campaign and on November 30th, 2011,
the We Can Global Network was
officially launched worldwide.
5
Current members We Can Global
Network include: India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri
Lanka, Indonesia, Canada, Netherlands,
Niger, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Burundi.
Vision and Mission statements:
‘We Can’ Vision
An aware society where women are
able to exercise their rights to
contribute to social and human
development for achieving peace
Core Values

Innovation

Respect

Firm belief in Equity

Learning and Flexibility

Commitment to women’s
and harmony’
Rights
Mission statement

Gender Sensitivity
Mobilize wider society to internalize
personal change in order to become
agents for social and attitudinal
change to promote women rights’
6
We Can Outreach in Pakistan –
Punjab
1. Muzaffargarh
2. Bahawalpur
3. Lodhran
4. DG Khan
5. Lahore
6. Multan
7. Layyah
8. Sialkot
9. Mianwali
Khyberpuktwoon Khwa
1. Swabi
2. Nowshera
3. Swat
Balochistan
1. Jaffarabad
2. Naseerabad
3. Quetta
Sindh
1. Hyderabad
2. Jamshoro
3. Khiarpur
4. Sakkhar
5. Nawabshah
6. Nowsheroferoz
7. Shikar Pur
8. Kashmore
9. Dadu
10. Gothki
11. Jacobabad
12. Hala
7
WE CAN
Programmes and
Projects:
We Can Project Direct –
Duration: April 2011 to March 2013
Supported by: OXFAM
‘We Can’ undertook its first independent
project in 2012 supported by OXFAM,
known as Project Direct, which focused
on engaging change makers in 36
districts for prevention of gender based
violence, with special emphasis on
women in post conflict and emergency
scenarios.
80,000 more Change Makers were
mobilized in 32 districts; promoting
both personal change in beliefs and
practices and embedding change in
schools. The project was also
particularly focused on protecting
women
affected
by
disasters;
supporting Change Maker groups to
identify the particular needs of
displaced women; to improve their
safety, and help to ensure cases of abuse
are referred to the relevant authorities.
Key mile stones of the project:
Six groups of Change Makers in 32
districts of Pakistan were established to
spearhead behaviour change for
reducing violence in their communities.
The Change Maker groups still continue
to be effective as informal monitor
groups in their respective areas
vigilantly working to; Spearhead the ‘We
Can’ campaign towards creating a
tipping point in society against
acceptance of violence.
Capacity Building of 864 group leaders,
as trainers, to promote behaviour
change, and further engage 50,000 new
and 80,000 existing Change Makers.
Mobilised 30,000 new and 30,000
existing Change Makers from students,
teachers and parents, through children’s
clubs actively working in schools.
Trained 100 teachers (each training five
others) to support children affected by
violence and to promote positive
attitudes towards women and girls in
schools and wider communities.
Organised quarterly meetings with
school administrators to ensure 100
schools stamp out violence and
discrimination; by adopting safety
measures for girls and establishing
codes of conduct.
Produced material including Change
Maker kits, posters, flip charts, story
books, games etc tailored both for use in
schools and for adults with low levels of
literacy.
Broadcasted 12 radio programmes,
featuring real life stories about violence
against women, promoting behavioural
change.
Case study - Making a difference
Yaseen Chun is 35 year old man, who is
also the head of his family. He is a
talented street theatre artist, who has
8
received very basic training of theatre
tools from local ‘We Can’ district
partner,
mostly
performs
in
communities on voluntarily basis as a
part of his contributions towards ending
violence against women.
He signed up with the campaign in 2011
and became a change maker. He also
now promotes the campaign messages
through street performances and brings
out real life stories of violence to show
the communities how discrimination
and violence can have adverse impacts.
Most of his theatre plays stem from his
own bitter experience, a reality he faces
every day. Three years back, before
becoming a change maker, Yaseen had
forced his sister to get married to his
relative, who was double the age of his
sister.
He adds, ‘Though I sensed the silent
resentment of my sister, but she was
weak and could not muster up the
courage to speak against my will’
After one year of her marriage, her
husband died and the 18 year old bride
turned into a widow, socially widows
are then outcasts who are often not
married again. Yaseen says, ‘At such a
young age my sister had to bear the
worst in life. At that point in my life I
was oblivious of her rights while forcing
my sister to get married against her will.
Today, as I have realized of my wrong
doing, all I have is embarrassment and
guilt for treating my own sister like a
commodity. Somehow to recompense, ‘I
try to convince others not to exploit the
rights of their daughters and sisters, this
way I may be able to save lives of other
young women.’
Engendering Change Project –
Duration: April 2012 to March 2014
Supported by: OXFAM
The ‘En-Gendering Change Project’
supported by Oxfam developed need
based capacity building of ‘We Can’. ‘We
Can’ organization was engaged as partner in
pursuance of building its organizational
capacities through developing gender
responsive systems and procedures and
enhancing technical capacities so as to
promote gender equality in its external
work on campaigning, advocacy and
alliance building. WE CAN, although
focusing on women issues is a very
nascent organization and is currently
formulating
its
organizational
structures and policies. It has being able
to establish a clear gender focus in its
internal and external ways of working.
The overall project aim was to
institutionalize gender mainstream at
WE CAN to strengthen organizational
work on women’s protection against
harassment at workplace and ending all
forms of violence against women in
Pakistan.
9
Project Milestones
A glance at some of the major achievements
of the project:
 The project has engaged a total of 100
Change Makers from 4 provinces in a
capacity building process, these change
makers were referred as “Connectors”
(change makers equipped with crafts
and skills to make learning meaningful
and spread the message across at
organizational level by mobilising wider
community, and diverse stakeholders)
 Four rounds of comprehensive training
and consultation were held for the
capacity building of ‘We Can’ provincial
and district focal allies.
 As a result of this consultative process,
partner organizations across 15
districts
established
the
AntiHarassment Enquiry Committee under
the code of conduct under the
harassment at workplace act 2010.
 An anti-harassment watch group
comprising of male and female
members was established during the
reporting period in all ‘We Can’ partner
organizations across 15 districts.
 Organizational policies not only of We
Can but also across all its implementing
partner organizations were analysed by
staff and management under the Gender
sensitivity lens.
 A more strengthened financial system
was also adopted by ‘We Can’
‘We Can’ office formed a mutual three
member enquiry committee and formally
adopted the code of conduct as given in the
legislation.

a. Over 2,000 Youth from Universities
were engaged through the awareness
raising and sensitization sessions on
what .gender mainstreaming.....
b. ‘We Can’s staff gender induction pack
that was developed and widely used by
the watch groups of the implementing
partner organizations, and the pressure
groups have also made it a mandatory
component to assess the gender
sensitivity level of the newly recruited
staff.
Facing the odds with courage
Fehmida Kerio belonging to Hyderabad
Sindh, is a typical example of a Pakistani
women facing social taboos in the
patriarchal society. Fehmida, was forced in
to child marriage at the age of 14, bad
marriage resulted in domestic abuse and
violence. At the age of 34, she was
compelled to search for work to earn
livelihood as a single bread earner for her
three kids (two daughters and one son).
Fehmida joined ABCD as a coordinator,
initially she had very low self-confidence
and was unable to travel and work alone.
Gradually, with experience and guidance
she understood about rights and started her
transformation towards empowerment.
She faced countless hurdles as the society in
general does not accept working women
who are economically independent. She was
constantly harassed and bothered by her
neighbours, in laws and husband who tried
to pressurize her to quit her job. Fehmida
stood her ground, eventually her husband
divorced her. As a divorcee and a single
parent she felt more insecure, as Fehmida
says “it was a hard times for me, loafer boys
used to roam around my house and would
accuse me of being an immoral woman, who
steps out of her house in-spite of her
divorce, this was damaging my reputation
in the neighborhood’.
When she shared these issues with Firdous,
the founding member of her organization,
who had attended the We Can orientation
10
sessions on protection Act, they proactively
came to help her and encouraged her to
register a complaint under the protection
Act. With assistance, she went to police
station and submitted FIR, against the
harassing opponents. She further shared
that she continues to face problems and
hurdles as a working woman in male
dominated society, but she faces her
troubles confidently as she is empowered
with information about her rights.
My ex- in- laws are trying to force me to
marry my daughter who is just 14 years old,
but I have strongly resisted and have
ensured that she continues her education.
She proudly reports that ‘My daughter is
studying in 9 grade, I strongly aspire to see
her as a successful and confident doctor in
the future and at the same time as aa strong
, empowered woman who also serves as a
useful member of the society.
quality education for girls in rural
vulnerable communities and mobilize
10,000 parents, teachers, school council,
and community based organizations
(CBO’s) members along with 100,000
children mobilized and capacitated to
lead a national level campaign claiming
their constitutional rights to education.
The proposed initiative focused on
building leadership skills among school
children and enabled them to make
school environment conducive for girls
education, mobile school councils,
teachers and parents in providing safety
passages to increase girls enrolment
rate and to internalize the changes in
attitudes that promote equal right to
education for all.
Key Mile of the project are
Project: Its my Right Make it
Right Campaign
Duration: 3 years
Supported by Oxfam
•
26 target districts
provinces
•
•
130 targeted schools
120 district Children club with 2519
children
1500 Junior Leaders
Number of Connectors (96)
Two Children Parliament events
held (Punjab, National)
Capacity Building of around 14,360
(Parents , teachers, schools councils
and CBOs)
Facebook Page (Dunya or Larki) –
around 21000 likes
Petitions Forms signed by the
children for getting right to free
education (120,000)
•
•
•
•
•
•
in
four
Its My Right – Make It Right is a three
year Right to Education campaign
supported by Oxfam. ,As one of the
consortium partners, ‘We Can’ focuses
on advocating for equitable access to
11
Annual shadow assemblies of
Children Parliament
Three yearlong efforts of We Can and
alliance members has produced a cadre
of young potential leaders having
confidence as well as a vision to lead.
The final culminating children assembly
of the year 2013 was held in February at
Lahore, where over 200 children from
across 18 districts of Punjab and KPK
participated and put together their
efforts to propose solutions to their
problems relating to access to free and
quality education for all especially for
girls, as given by the constitution of
Pakistan among the basic fundamental
right with article number 25-A. These
children
from
marginalized
backgrounds stand together as policy
makers and draft their own resolution
papers for promotion of education and
access to quality and free education
across the country ( Article # 25-A) .
The Assembly holds proceeding for two
days,
presenting
its
final
recommendations based on 'Model
Legislation on the Right to Education'.
Before vote-out on the legislation,
assembly members indulge in a policy
discussion & debate with a panel of
members which hold emblem of
excellence in their respective fields. It
was widely attended by the civil society,
members of academia, policy makers
and legislatures. Respected guests who
participated and encouraged the
children.
Similar event was held in year 2013
engaging
children
parliamentary
representatives from all over Pakistan.
Third and Final Children parliament
Assembly will be held at the culmination
of the project at the end of last project
year in Sindh.
Case Study
Anum from district Swabi, is a little
bundle of excitement and energy from
6th grade Topi Model School Topi
District School, KPK Pakistan.
She
currently chairs her schools’ student
club and was elected by her fellow
school members because of her
dedicated
efforts
and
strong
commitment to the cause. Anum was
also the lead speaker for her committee
at the children parliament held in
February 2014, where she expressed
grave concerns about Govt spending
ration of only 2% GDP over education
budgets in front of the presiding current
education
minister
of
Punjab
Government.
She says ‘When I first heard about the
25-A and the constitutional right of free
education, I was thrilled, cause now I
had means to bring poor children back
in schools. Starting from my own street I
12
identified many families which were not
sending children to schools. Along with
my club members and teacher we
conducted meeting with their parents
one by one. Most of the parents stated
that they could not afford books,
uniforms and
school fee, but we explained that free
education
is
government’s
responsibility and every parent has a
right to ask for safeguarding of this
right.’
Research
I am One I am Many – an
innovative Approach to creating
acceptance of Diversity and
multiple identities
‘Diversity in Society Kit: I am One… I am
Many’1 which has been successfully
developed by We Can Region The kit
encourages Change Makers2 to explore
their own multiple identities, what
identities and values they have in
common even with those they initially
perceive
as
‘other’,
and
their
experiences of stereotyping others as
well as of being on the receiving end of
essentialisms.
We Can Pakistan, undertook the same
initiative of adapting the I am one I am
Many tool kit to local Pakistani social
context and with support of Oxfam
carried an Action Research (both
qualitative and quantative) in two
selected districts of Muzzfargarh and
Nowshera. The project focuses on
highlighting the negative impact of
intolerance and misuse of identity
created by different groups working on
political and anti- state objectives.’
The main objective have been
a) Understand how change happens
towards ending exclusion and
intolerance, particularly towards
women and minorities
in
relation to fundamentalisms;
status quo and weak governance
The We Can campaign has ten years of
experience in carrying out behavioral
change
advocacy
to
counter
discrimination, violence and exclusion
within the society at South Asian level,
this experience includes developing the
b) Identify further interventions
needed to grow this change and
promote attitudes and practices
that lead to:
i)
Increased valuing of difference
and
http://www.wecanendvaw.org/sites/default/files/Diversity%20in%20Society%20Kit.pdf
2 Men and women affiliated with WE CAN campaign who take a pledge not to resort to any form of violence in their own lives and
convince 10 other people to o the same. There 550, 000 change makers across Pakistan.
13
ii)
Recognition
commonalities
humanity]
of
our
[shared
One of the key observations revealed, that
respondents realized and talked about that
diversity is not an aspect to provoke hatred, or
differences rather it brings value in our
collective social identity in the society. Most of
the participants shared that for a change they
tried to approach those excluded groups or
individuals, who were taken as ‘others’ before.
Project: Creating Safer Districts
for Women
Duration: 10 months
Supported by International Alert
The project catered to transformative
change
at
personal,
household,
community and societal level to address
causes and indicators of sexual violence.
At the personal level, it will positively
influenced peoples’ mind-sets and
attitudes to foster a culture of respect
and sense of security. At the community
level, it enabled the community to work
together to ensure the safety of women
by taking preventive actions against
sexual violence. At the societal level, the
local and district forums
formed
together build pressure on the under-
performing government institutions
(hospitals, police and shelter homes) to
be more accountable (with respect to
SGBV responses) and perform better. It
was implemented in two districts of
Khyber Pukhtwun Khwa (Swat and
Nowshera)and two districts of Punjab
( Muzzafrgarh and Dera Gazi Khan).
Key Milestones
•
We Can Community Champions
(Change
makers)
trained
by
professional artists in ‘Theater
•
• Development’ focusing on spreading
awareness about violence against
women.
• A comprehensive training manual
developed by International Alert and
training of trainers of WE CAN
community Champions
• 10,000 Study Circles delivered by
capacitated We Can Champions for
engaging wider communities in to
healthy discussions and encourage
shift
in
attitudes
regarding
customary VAW practices.
• Eight Women Conventions held
• Five community exchange visits for
peer review of each other’s work
and sharing of ideas and working out
solutions for resolving mutual
challenges.
• Provincial Level Media Hearings
• Provincial National Consultations
• Early Warning Model on prevention
of gender and sexual abuse
Significant Outcome:
14
Early Warning Mechanism Model
A key outcome of the project after
extensive consultations with on ground
partners, women groups, social service
providers, and community groups has
been development of a model for an
‘Early Warning Mechanism’ on sexual
violence.
The model has already been pilot tested
in both project districts of Punjab and
has shown good results. The mechanism
helps to effectively prevent and address
incidences of sexual violence (conflict
and non-conflict related), such a
mechanism could have the potential to
expand its mandate to include other
forms of gender-based violence within
districts.
At village level, Early Warning
Committees (EWCs) were formed by
gathering 7 to 10 community men and
women from different groups who are
willing to dedicate time on volunteer
basis as well. They have been working
on raising awareness to address root
causes. Early Warning Forum will be
created at Union Council level by key
selected representatives from EWCs and
available public service providers in
sexual
violence.
Similarly,
Early
Warning Network will be formed at
Tehsil level.
Case Study
Shahana Abbas Shani is a transgender
and a social personality and hard
working woman. She is also running an
organization for the welfare and identity
of transgender in Muzaffargarh. She is
an active member of district alliance
working on women rights by Sanjh
Foundation and Early Warning Advisory
Group. She is actively working for PSVI
project. She has also formed a group of
active women in her village and has
conducted study circles with them
rolling out the training module which
proves very interesting for the group.
She says “one day I picked up a call from
wrong number and came to know that
there was a girl on phone asking for
help. The girl told that she is married
and her husband is violent to her. I
asked the girl to go to police station. She
started talking to me regularly. One day
when the girl was excessively bleeding
due to beating she escaped to reach city
police station. But the SHO refused to
file the FIR and asked her to come the
next day. The next day when the woman
came to police station she saw her
family already sitting there, brought by
the SHO, they all asked the woman for a
settlement with her family. She refused
the suggestion, the SHO ordered to keep
her at police station until she agrees for
the settlement. She somehow escaped
and called me and approached me at the
hotel where a meeting on women rights
was in progress. The woman was
injured due to severe beating. In the
meeting there were other women and
lawyers as well. We all accompanied the
victim woman to the police station and
asked for the SHO. The SHO only
appeared when the women heartened
him to block the road and demonstrate a
sit in at the gate of police station. The
SHO observing the situation came forth,
asked apologies for his behaviour and
filed the case against the in-laws of that
women. Her husband was duly arrested
15
and remained imprisoned until he
agreed to treat her like a respectable
equal human being”.
through theater performances, and
community members will be reached
through radio campaigns in each district
on the negative effects of early marriage.
Project: Bachpan Bachao
Key Mile stones (to be completed by
August 2015)
Project Duration: Nov 2015 to August
2016.
•
3000
copies
of IEC
(Information, Education and
Communication) material
designed,
printed
and
disseminated.
•
TRAINING MANUALS designed
and delivered for Community,
Religious
Leaders,
Law
Enforcement
Personals.
Teachers, Marriage Registrars,
District Governmental Officials
Project Supported by: OXFAM NOVAIB
In Pakistan, Save the Children and
Oxfam along with the ‘We Can‘ are
coordinating stop early marriage
practices in Muzaffargarh and Lodhran
Districts of South Punjab, the main goal
of the proposed project is raising
awareness among stakeholders on the
detrimental effects of child marriage
and building capacities to take action
against the practice. Oxfam and Save the
Children
provide
one-day
sensitization
workshops or two-day capacity-building
workshops to influential target groups,
including community and religious
leaders,
marriage
registrars,
government officials, law enforcement
officers such as lawyers, judges and
police officers, and teachers. The
teachers also receive training on
improved communication with young
people on the age of marriage, young
people aged 11 to 15 will be sensitized
• SENSTIZATION AND TRANING
SESSIONS with
Community,
Religious
Leaders,
Law
Enforcement
Personals.
Teachers, Marriage Registrars,
District Governmental Officials.
•
STREET THEATER
PERFORMANCES
GROUP
•
FORMATION
OF
EARLY
MARRIAGE TASK FORCE
• MEDIA CAMPAIGNS (Tele films
and radio campaigns)
• CAPACITY BUILDING
with
health care providers on youth
friendly services including early
marriage prevention, healing
timing and spacing of pregnancy,
psycho social counseling, and
right based approach.
16
How 4 Million People Signed
up to a Campaign to End
Violence against Women:
An Extract t from World Bank Blog about global
We Can Campaign.
We Can End All Violence Against Women
(henceforward We Can) is an extraordinary,
viral campaign on violence against women
(VAW) in South Asia, reaching millions of
men and women across six countries and
subsequently spreading to other countries
in Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Launched in 2004, by 2011 We Can had
signed up approximately 3.9 million women
and men to be ‘Change Makers’ – advocating
for an end to VAW in their homes and
communities. Unexpectedly, about half the
Change Makers were men. An external
evaluation in 2011 conservatively estimated
that ‘some 7.4 million women and men who
participated in “We Can” and related
activities, have started transforming their
perceptions of gender roles and VAW, as
well as their behavior.’
‘Within the family, the most common
changes, according to the Change Makers,
are the reduction or ceasing of physical and
emotional violence and abuse, sharing of
housework, lifting of restrictions on female
mobility,
Allowing girls to continue in education and
denouncing of early marriage. Outside the
family, the most common changes include
not restricting girls and women from
moving outside the home, allowing them to
pursue education, not engaging in ‘eve
teasing’ (harassment) of girls and greater
discussion on the subject.’
Why do such numbers of women and men
sign up? Beyond a personal experience of
violence (e.g. between their parents), key
motivating factors include inspirational
individuals (friends, a respected figure
and/or We Can activists) and the sense of
belonging to a movement. However, wouldbe activists face real obstacles – threats,
ostracism or mockery at the hands of family,
neighbors or friends.
As for what such changes in perceptions
actually produced in terms of behavioural
changes, a regional assessment found that:
17
Dedicated to We Can team
Current List of WE CAN team members
‘We Can’ will also like to acknowledge
and remember its ex – team members
who
have contributed passionately and
devotedly in building the Organization
1. Dr. Noreen Khalid
2. Ms. Feroza Zahra
3. Mr. Abdul Mabood
4. Ms. Hajera Pasha
5. Mr. Muhammad Aashir
6. Ms. Saadia Nazly
7. Mr. Ahmad Saffee
8. Ms. Fouzia Amanat
9. Mr. Ayyaz Khan
10. Mr. Haroon Malik
11. Ms. Shahida Haris
1. Mr. Kamran Sharif - Executive
Director
2. Mr. Khurram Mehmood - Finance
Manager
3. Ms. Syeda Farzana Bibi Programme Manager
4. Ms. Mamuna Tariq - Programme
& IT Officer
5. Mr. Syed Zohaib Iqbal Zaidi Programme & HR Officer
a. Mr. Muhammad Ilyas Support Staff
18