Gender-based Violence

Overview and Goals
How we work
Current Projects
Past Projects
Contacts
Directory of Services Addressing Gender-Based Violence
CSVR publications on Gender-based violence
Gender-based Violence Programme

Overview & Goals

Overview

The Gender Unit of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) was established in 1998 as a result of the need to integrate a stronger gender focus into the organisation’s programmes and projects.

The Gender Unit grew rapidly in scope and impact and was renamed the Gender-based Violence Programme (GBVP) to reflect its work of addressing, primarily, issues around gender-based violence.

Goals

The GBVP aims to understand the root causes of gender-based violence in all its forms and at all levels, in order to use this understanding to contribute towards the prevention of gender-based violence through the development and implementation of primary prevention strategies and constructive responses from both civil society and government.

The Programme has three strategic focus areas:

  • Strategic focus area 1: Understanding the roots of gender-based violence in order to prevent its occurrence.
    Strategic area objective: To develop a body of knowledge on the multiple causes of gender-based violence, and identify and develop strategic preventive interventions.
  • Strategic focus area 2: Promoting state accountability around gender-based violence.
    Strategic area objective: For the GBVP and other civil society organisations to engage government in debates as well as legislative and policy dialogues on the most effective ways to improve service delivery to reduce gender-based violence and improve access to justice.
  • Strategic focus area 3: Addressing the intersection between HIV and AIDS and gender-based violence.
    Strategic area objective: To contribute to the reduction of gender-based violence and the increased ability of women to protect themselves from the extent and impact of HIV/AIDS.

In addition to the above, the GBVP assists CSVR as a whole to include questions and issues pertaining to gender in all its projects. This is accomplished by sensitising staff members to issues of gender and building their knowledge and skills base to integrate gender into their work. Furthermore, cross-departmental project work with other CSVR programmes has been increasingly undertaken by the GBVP in recent years.
 
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