Good practices in combating and eliminating violence against women in African Countries

By Sr. Catherine Mulwa, SSJ

WWO Assistant in Africa

The experts meeting took place on zoom set up with 35 members in attendance from 10 African countries; Eswatini 1, Zambia 1, Malawi 3, Nigeria 4, Ghana 2, Cameroon 2, South Sudan 1, Kenya 6, Tanzania 6 and Uganda 10.  The Director for WWO in African Countries Madam Adela moderated the meeting and Sr. Catherine Mulwa- Assistant for WWO in Africa and Sr. Maurine Community Manger for African English-speaking countries were the secretaries for the meetings. In total we had six zoom meetings in three days. 

How far have we come in addressing violence against women?

Violence against women is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the African countries. The statistics are staggering, with one in three women having experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.  In Africa, reported physical violence against women is particularly high, with nearly half of countries reporting a prevalence of over 40%. The violence that women face prevents them from realizing full and equal rights and has severe emotional, physical, sexual, and economic consequences. Women from at-risk or marginalized groups—including rural; disabled; may be even more vulnerable to violence. Intimate partner violence (IPV) by a former or current partner is the most common form of Violence Against Women.

Networking and collaboration

The work of ending violence against women (and girls) across Africa was pioneered by World Union of Catholic Women Organization (WUCWO) through World Women Observatory (WWO) project. The movement have built a network of 22 African countries in collaboration with the women religious Associations. 

The past three decades WWO has witnessed extraordinary growth in the efforts to address violence against women. Renewed commitment to prevent and respond to Violence Against Women is evidenced at country and regional levels, in the African Network, and within the international community, through Hilton Foundation who is the main donor.

Good practices of Violence Against Women prevention programming across African countries. Experts shared the following areas where they focused in bringing impact and transformation in their catchments. 

• Training and creating awareness

• Communication and advocacy focused on authorities 

• Promotion of changes in policy and legislation 

• Police activities/enforcement of existing laws and regulation

• Communication and advocacy campaigns 

• Community-wide mobilisation and social norm change 

• Activities and engagement with common interest groups 

• Workplace and private sector interventions

• Critical awareness of gender roles 

• Parenting interventions

• Economic and income generation programs

• Social empowerment, skills building, and consciousness raising 

• Counselling & psychosocial support

• Bystander interventions

  
  

Most touching stories of women violation were

“Most women just take in the beatings for the sake of the children. If you decide to leave, children will not get inheritance, so you decide to stay.” Even for violence that goes ‘too far’, such as the practice of wife inheritance, no action is taken “since the woman is weak and poor. They just accept the situation for the sake of the children.”( Kenya)

“Women will wonder what they will be told when they report while men fear they will be asked about how they could be beaten by a wife. Culture limits the way one can access the services.” (Zambia)

“Those who have low income, or the poor are the ones who experience most violence because the perpetrator is mostly the breadwinner.” (Uganda)

“Most of the violated women are not allowed to even interact with people or leave the family compound by their husbands, so you find that it is not easy for them to know where to get help or even if they know they cannot reach them”. (Tanzania)

WWO in Africa Staying accountable to women and girls 

While many women’s rights organisations have been working with men on Violence Against Women prevention for decades, in recent expert meeting, many organisations focused on engaging men and use of men’s engagement strategies have grown. However, evidence on male engagement strategies has largely focused on interpersonal level change, with less evidence at the household, community, and structural levels. Further, during discussions it was highlighted there were shifts in attitudes, rather than behaviour. Transforming masculinities and engaging men in gender equality does not occur in isolation. Rather, it is embedded in holistic social norms change as a complement to strong response services for survivors and alongside activism by feminist movements.

Outcomes from experts sharing the good practices

Major goal of the expert meeting was to share knowledge, promote learning and strategies of  fighting this disease of violence against women in Africa. Some of the outcomes from expert meeting are as follows.

Knowledge Sharing and Learning: Reporting good practices from different organizations has facilitated the exchange of information and insights, enabling organizations to learn from each other's experiences and successes. 

Improvement and Adaptation: Through the sharing, organizations can identify areas for improvement, adapt their strategies, and enhance their overall performance. 

Demonstrating Impact: Reporting good practices allows organizations to communicate the value of their work and demonstrate the positive impact of their interventions. 

Enhancing Collaboration: Sharing these good practices will foster more collaboration and partnerships among different organizations and stakeholders, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes. 

Promoting Accountability: Reporting good practices can help organizations become more accountable for their actions and demonstrate their commitment to achieving desired outcomes. 

Scalability and Sustainability: By documenting and sharing good practices, organizations can create a foundation for scaling up successful interventions and ensuring their long-term sustainability. Organizations are advised to document what they are doing and implementing for others to learn from them.

Policy and Advocacy: Reporting good practices can inform policy development and advocacy efforts, helping to create a more supportive environment for positive change

How can we cultivate a feminist vision for ending violence against women in Africa?

Over the past decade, incredible progress in supporting women’s rights to safety and agency has been achieved. Catholic Women’s organization’s in collaboration with women Religious Associations, like-minded institutions in Africa, are leading the way on Violence Against Women prevention and groups across the world are ambracing their achievements.

To maintain this momentum and build upon the success in Africa, we need to: 

• Document and share experiences, good practice’s in VAW prevention; 

• Deepen our understanding of a feminist analysis of VAW; 

• Nurture a feminist organisational culture that internalizes the principles of VAW prevention;

• Read and learn more about the evidence of VAW prevention; 

• Contribute to further knowledge production and evidence-generation—including through partnerships with African researchers and theologians; 

• Encourage, support, and promote innovation and practice-based learning; 

• Collaborate across African network and international networks to deepen intersectional approaches; 

• Advocate for and build a sustainable resource base for prevention work; and 

• Foster self-care so that it is an integral part of everything we do.

  
  

By building solidarity across our feminist networks—and sustaining our well-being through self and collective care—we can dismantle the patriarchal norms that underpin violence against women, and foster communities that enable women to thrive, lead, and inspire.

Acknowledgements

World Women Observatory (WWO) in African Network appreciates the efforts of Catholic Women Association, Women religious Association and all like-minded organizations for fighting against VAW . We are grateful to WUCWO and WWO directors for spearheading this project. We are proud of Hilton Foundation for funding this project.