INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2011

3 Key Areas of Work

Standing Together Against Violence

Standing together against violence (STAV) The Standing Together Against Violence (STAV) programme is the only programme in the Solomon Islands focusing specifically on violence against women. The incidence and prevalence of violence against women in the Solomon Islands is very high, with a vast majority of women experiencing some kind of violence in her lifetime. It is only very recently that the issue has become a public concern and work in this area is very new. The STAV project works in three areas; the provision of high quality response services to women and children experiencing violence, an enabling environment through changes in policy and the implementation of relevant existing legislation, and work with communities to change attitudes that accept and support violence against women and to strengthen community responses. The community work involves recognising the kinds of issues that allow and perpetuate violence against women and to challenging the attitudes that make these violences so prevalent.

Advocacy Response Services Prevention

Violence Against Women...what is it??

Management Support OAU has supported by providing assistance to the FSC in reducing the acceptance of VAW in SI since 2001. FSC is a registered charitable organization that provides counselling, legal and referral service to residents in Honiara (and is the only secular service provider of such in the country) To strengthen its organizational capacity. To build and strengthen existing structures within response services (our partner) to ensure that effective women centred work is carried out with a women centred perspective. To look at guidelines and principles in modelling and disseminating best practice response to victims of violence. ADVOCACY Develop and maintain networks with stakeholders, particularly in Honiara and participate in stakeholder meetings Actively seek to guide and influence national policy development and implementation of VAW and related policies and practice Develop and manage effective relationships with Oxfam Australian-based advocacy and campaigns units, with a view to establishing linkages and cooperation. Community Mobilization The purpose of working with community is to develop a model of community intervention that will enable women to identify the issues of violence they are facing, consider the strategies they are already using to try to protect themselves and to collectively explore the kinds of changes they would like to see that would reduce the violence they face. This work will need a highly participatory approach to community development and a commitment to putting the safety of women and their children at the centre of all

Women and girls are half of the human capital available to reduce poverty and achieve development. Yet Violence Against Women (VAW) undermines human rights, social stability and security, public health, womens educational and employment opportunities, and the well -being and development prospects of children and communities. Oxfam Solomon Islands program on Standing Together Against Violence (STAV) against women and girls defines VAW as the UN-DEVAW ; violence against women means any act of gender based violence that results in , or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. We envisions a safe and just world, where women and girls gain power over every aspect of their lives and live free from violence hence our goal is for women and girls will be able to equally contribute and benefit from development, free from the threat and reality of gender based violence. Culture can play multiple roles in perpetuating or confronting VAW and GBV: it is often used to justify harmful practices, but can also become a powerful force for positive change. STAV approach is a Human Rights Based using the Strength Based Approach which means that the advocacy strategy at this point is aimed at improving the respect for and protection of Womens Human Rights .

planning, activities and intervention. It is also concerned with developing an approach to this work that is appropriate to the Solomon Islands context and as such will need to be innovative, creative and highly reflective. It will also need a commitment to high quality monitoring to ensure that the learning from the initial pilot can be incorporated into future community interventions. It is intended that this work will ultimately be expanded to include partners and the first phase is to develop a model and an approach that we can share with others In Brief Women are considered lower in status and have little decision making power and control over their lives, even in traditionally matrilineal societies. A critical aspect of power over women and a barrier to women achieving control over their lives is the endemic nature of VAW, especially DV. Oxfam- Solomon Islands STAV program have been vocal on putting more emphasis to describing violence against women is an act of power, therefore in addressing violence against women, STAV module is a holistic approach, aimed to work with community people starting from the root cause of VAW. The STAV community approach and module is focused on women centred perspective, a new approach based on womens solidarity by creating and providing space for women to speak up on issues affecting them