VAWG mainstreaming in access to justice programmes: a framework for action

ABSTRACT

If we are finally to end violence against women and girls (VAWG), then this commitment needs to be embedded into all development programmes, regardless of sectorial focus. Women and girls are vulnerable across the board and recognition of this reality is the first step. This article proposes a VAWG mainstreaming framework that addresses how to centralise a VAWG lens into development programming, irrespective of programmatic priorities. The article outlines the need for such a lens and presents the approach through a number of stages. The model is then applied to two programme areas, microfinance and HIV/AIDS, demonstrating its applicability across development issues.

Si nous voulons en finir une fois pour toutes avec la violence faites aux femmes et aux filles (VFFF), il est essentiel que cet engagement soit intégré à tous les programmes de développement, indépendamment de leur orientation sectorielle. Les femmes et les filles sont vulnérables dans tous les domaines et la reconnaissance de cette réalité constitue la première étape. Cet article propose un cadre d’intégration du problème de la VFFF qui aborde la manière de centraliser une perspective VFFF dans la programmation du développement, indépendamment des priorités programmatiques. L’article souligne la nécessité de cette perspective et présente l’approche proposée en plusieurs étapes. Le modèle est ensuite appliqué à deux domaines programmatiques – la microfinance et le VIH/sida – démontrant ainsi son applicabilité à plusieurs domaines du développement.

Si se quiere poner fin a la violencia contra mujeres y niñas (vcmn), este compromiso debe incorporarse a todos los programas de desarrollo, independientemente de cuál sea su enfoque sectorial. El primer paso en este sentido es reconocer que tanto mujeres como niñas son vulnerables de forma generalizada. El presente artículo da cuenta de un marco que permite transversalizar las acciones encaminadas a detener la vcmn, determinando la manera en que los programas de desarrollo pueden dar prioridad a esta inquietud, sin importar cuáles sean sus prioridades programáticas. Asimismo, examina las razones por las cuales es necesario este tipo de enfoque, presentándolo a través de una serie de etapas. Además, el modelo es instrumentado en dos áreas programáticas —microfinanzas y vih/sida— lo que demuestra que puede aplicarse para una gama diversa de cuestiones vinculadas al desarrollo.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender and diversity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Tamsin Bradley is Professor in International Development Studies, School of Languages and Area Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Janet Gruber is an independent gender expert.

Notes

1 In a wide field, see Crockett et al. (2016) and Douglas (2007) on older women's experience of VAWG, the Staszewska (2015) overview on the SDGs and VAWG, and UNFPA 2013 on the paucity of reliable and disaggregated data on VAWG, especially in situations of conflict and displacement.

2 Kabeer's parallel attention to resources and agency (structure and culture) has been incorporated into or has informed innumerable research and policy frameworks on women's empowerment, including ICRW (Golla 2011), and she has worked extensively for DFID.

3 This section on how action on HIV might be interwoven into VAWG mainstreaming is informed by Abramsky et al. (2014); Durevall and Lindskog (2015); Elsey, Tollhurst, and Theobald (2005); Fulu et al. (2013); Gruber (2005, 2006); Heise and McGrory (2016); Klot and Nguyen (2009); Klot et al. (2012); Kyegombe et al. (2014); LSHTM et al. (2016); Maman et al. (2000); Stone (2017); UNAIDS (2012a); WHO (2013).

4 See Deng (2013) for a partial overview of the challenges involved in seeking to begin to address access to justice in insecure settings, for all those who require redress, including survivors of VAWG.