PROJECTS: GOOD HUSBANDS CAMPAIGN

ZAMBIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND GENDER JUSTICE SUMMIT AND AWARDS 7 - 8 MARCH 2012 CRESTA GOLF VIEW HOTEL, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA 3 65 DAYS OF LOCAL ACTION TO END GENDER VIOLENCE: HALVE GENDER VIOLENCE BY 2015

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GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOU ARE RESPONDING TO and HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IDENTIFYING IT ?

The Good Husband Campaign is the newest activity YWCA launched in Linda Compound. The campaign analysis critical aspect of preventing gender based violence at nuclear family level through male involvement. This was further realized after analyzing YWCA 2008, 2009 and 2010 annual reports of which placed child neglect and spouse battery on top of list of cases received in YWCA drop-in-Centres. Most cases were coming from Linda community hence YWCAs prevention interventions through involvement of identified problematic Husbands. Both type cases involves close family members but due to various reasons differ to point of killing each other and our question usually is why should such happen to two partners who should love each other said Raymond Havwala YWCA Mens Network National Coordinator.

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The Good Husband Campaign initiative was realized out of such thoughts and target problematic husbands identified by community. We carried out a baseline survey and revealed that husbands: Alcohol abuse fuelled violence against women, lack of effective communication among couples resulted into violence and women been most victims and power imbalance among partners. The husbands are then engaged in behavioral change communication through male focused discussions and trainings.

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The Linda community Husbands carried out a campaign female candidates started on 13th September 2011 to 19th September 2011. The campaign involves community activists in Linda mobilizing voters to vote for adopted female candidates in Linda community. The Husbands promote 50/50 representation at all levels (Family level, community level, local government and parliamentary level. The Husbands travel street by street encouraging men to balance power between men and women. The ON THE ROAD SHOW CAMPAIGN FOR FEMALE CANDIDATES initiative targeted at female adopted candidates in 2011 tripartite election to maximize number of elected females in decision making positions. This activity was driven after realizing the fact that only 105 female candidates were adopted as Members of Parliament out of 1500 representing 10 political parties and 150 constituencies.

WHY IS THIS ISSUE IMPORTANT?

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The period (16 days of Activism) between 25th November 2011 and 10th December 2011, 16 women within alone Lusaka were killed in by their HUSBANDS. The period between 10th December 2011 and 21st January 2012, 7 women within Lusaka died in hands of Husbands making total of 22 women killed in three (3) months. These figures are coming from only one (1) district (Lusaka Town) out of 74 Zambian districts and were reported. Out of 22 women killed by Husbands, 4 were from Linda community. The major perpetrators of violence have been men particularly Husbands under influence of alcohol, sighting power imbalance and negative male cultural beliefs. Violence against women has increased, Zambian government is spending billions of money to treat victims of gender based violence, and resources could go to developmental projects if violence is prevented, family are breaking up as a result of gender based violence.

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Husbands are not giving equal opportunities to their wives due to power in balance and the trend in transferred from generation to generations in name of cultural. This project deals with the root cause of violence and seek redress by involving major perpetrators of violence which are men particularly husbands. If men (Husbands) are educated about consequences of gender based violence cases of gender based violence were reduce. The men will educate potential husbands (Boys) to believe in non-violent action as opposed to violent actions. Equal opportunities in homes will be given to girls and girls at all levels and we shall create violence free homes were peace and love will be the order of the day. The GOOD HUSBAND Project/Campaign is involving problematic husbands to prevent gender based violence against wives and redesign a violence free generation through dialogue.

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Mostly decision making positions in Zambia are male dominated hence increasing violence against women. Promoting women in high decision on family level, local government and parliamentary level balances powers hence reducing gender based violence through passing of ant-gender based violence legislations. Female parliamentarian will allocate more resources towards preventing gender based violence activities. Good husband campaign promotes women in leadership position as strategy to prevent gender based violence in Linda community.

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HOW ARE YOU GOING ABOUT ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM?

Since most perpetrators of gender based violence are men particularly husbands and most case are coming from Linda compounds. YWCA Mens Network carried out following steps to address the problem: (1)The gate keepers in Linda compound were approached involving Area Development Committee, market committee and local churches that nominated 30 community activists. The community then voted for only 10 credible men as community activists.

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The Good Husband training package included topics such as: Good Husband should be: faithful to wife, peaceful, understanding, and loving to his wife. Good husband should write a will, legalize his marriage and mentor his children. The Good Husband should never believe in polygamy, harmful effects of alcohol abuse (, should always come home early, take part in reproductive health care and always share home chores with wife. Power in relation to Gender based violence, power in relation HIV, power in relation to human right and content of Ant-GBV act.

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The community activists with help of community members identified 20 problematic Husband in Linda community currently undergoing behavioural change messages The selected problematic husbands pledged to learn more and then translate new acquired skills in lives to positively benefit their wives and children. The most transformed husband will became Linda community icon and rest of husbands will themselves become community activists that will promote positive cultural practices among husbands. The transformed husbands will be living examples to other husbands in Linda community and will engage another group of problematic husbands for intervention

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Our goal is to transform all Linda community problematic husbands into Good Husbands by 2017. This goal will make YWCA prevent gender based violence at family level in Linda Community I am a good husband for life are you? End of question. We have designed Good Husband campaign to solve most of domestic related violence. The Good Husband Television series is component one other component of our campaign. Phase (1) involves 20 problematic husbands Phase (2) will involve 60 problematic husbands Phase (3) will involve 180 problematic husbands

ON ROAD SHOW CAMPAIGN FOR FEMALE CANDIDATES

The Linda Community activist identified 4 adopted female candidates within Linda community. All the 4 candidates were adopted as councillors (local government) by Movement for Multy-party Democracy, United Party for National Development, United National Independence party and Patriotic Front. The Husbands carried a campaign called on The Road Show Campaign for Female Candidates to mobilize voters to vote for adopted female candidates. A campaign van coloured with banners and mega phone went round street by street carrying all female candidates selling manifestos. Campaign rallies were held by husbands encouraging other husbands to voter for female candidates.

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WHAT IS THE TIME-FRAME FOR THE PROJECT ?

Phase (1) 2 years Phase (2) 2 years Phase (3) 2 years

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

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WHO IS THE KEY TARGET? WHO IS INVOLVED? ARE WOMEN AND MEN EQUALLY INVOLVED?

Problematic Husbands Female aspiring candidates Who is involved? YWCA Mens Network Linda Community Activists Identified Problematic Husbands Female aspiring Candidates
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WHAT PARTNERSHIPS HAVE BEEN FORMED THROUGH THE PROJECT ?

Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) provide behavioural change communication interventions to problematic Husbands and International Justice Mission provides sensitization on Zambian Laws and benefits writing a will, non-violent actions to problematic husbands. Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) provides husbands with sexuality education. Area development committee to anchor project as they directly in contact with community. The area developed committee has work with Young Christian Association community activists who directly identify community gender based violence problems and find solutions. The community activists received trainings from above organizations and are currently working with problematic husbands to prevent gender based violence at family level. They also directly influence various community committees within Linda community to adopt 50/50 male female representation at community and National level. The community activists are working with political parties and encourage the adoption of female candidates.

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

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RESOURCEFULNESS: WHAT FINANCIAL, HUMAN AND OTHER RESOURCES WERE MOBILISED? HOW ARE THEY BEING USED?

The Good Husband campaign has been financially supported by Young Women Christian Association and United Nations Trust Fund. The Campaign for female candidates is financially supported by Action Aid Zambia. The Good Husband Campaign has engaged male community activists who work as volunteers and mobilized problematic Husbands (Convert problematic husbands into Good Husbands) The Good Husband Campaign last stage will reward the most converted husband and will become a community icon that will start working with other problematic husbands with view to turn them into Good Husbands. The once problematic husbands but now Good Husbands are living testimony and through multiplication method will reach out to other problematic husbands. Both financial and human resources are been utilized as above.

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Young Women Christian Association provides logistical support in terms of transport, communication and refreshments during male focus group discussion (Insaka). The community activists organizes meeting with Husbands and work as community gender based violence watch dogs. The engaged problematic Husbands translate all acquired education in their homes. They are encouraged to hold family Ant-gender based violence discussion with wives and children. This education stop gender based violence in homes as the problematic husbands turns into Good Husband and lead in teaching his children (Potential Husbands and Wives) on effects of gender based violence. This will make potential husbands and wives never to resort to violence when they grow and become husbands or wives.

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CREATIVITY HOW ARE ARTS, CULTURE, MEDIA & SOCIAL MEDIA BEING USED TO MOBILISE & POPULARISE THE ISSUE?

The Good Husband Campaign community activists formed drama group that performs during community sensitizations on gender based violence prevention and 50/50 female and male representation. The male focus group discussions explore negative cultural practices such as loboola (bridal price) and how contribute to GBV, polygamous marriages and power imbalance. Young Women Christian Association Mens Network works both with print and electronic media under friends of media initiative. The Good Husband Campaign holds radio discussion programs husbands on harmful effects of alcohol, effects of late coming, and how husbands should live in order to prevent violence at home (Attributes of Good Husbands). We have created a Good Husband Campaign Facebook page were gender based violence issues are raised and addressed. We are running a Bring 2 problematic Husband competition on Facebook to reach out to many husbands with a view to prevent GBV.

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

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MONITORING AND EVALUATION HOW DO YOU TRACK PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT ? HOW DO YOU TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION WHERE NECESSARY?

The Young Women Christian Association Good Husbands Campaign has in place a work plan with clear deliverables. We have in place an implementation plan which clearly gives direction on what should be done at every particular point. Monitoring is done on monthly basis were issues that need redress are addressed. We receive monthly reports from community activist and evaluation is done quarterly. Evaluation involves physical interviews with problematic husbands to measure knowledge levels, behavioural and attitude change. The last stage of evaluation involves personal interviews with wives and children at home to trace husbands concerning gender based violence issues after receiving Good husband interventions. The evaluation report helps to improve our gender based violence prevention efforts and reward most positive converted Husband.

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

WHAT RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED?

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

Good Husband Campaign has been launched and 20 problematic husbands has been identified and since receiving behavioural change communication and wives and Children has testified that their Husband/father has positively changed since he started attending Good Husband meetings. On the Road Show campaign for female candidates prior to 20th September 2011 tripartite election which Linda Husbands campaigned for female candidates, three (3) female aspiring candidates out of four (4) adopted female candidates won the election. The community activists hold community dialogues within Linda community to find solutions to gender based violence and January YWCA 2012 reports shows a reduction of GBV cases from Linda Community. The area member of parliament has signed a social contract facilitated by Good Husbands Community Activists to support community efforts to end violence against women and girls.

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

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IMPACT (BASED ON THE SADC PROTOCOL TARGETS)

Young Women Christian Association implement with reference to PART THREE (Governance) article 12 which addresses attaining 50/50 female and male representation in decision making by 2015. Hence implementing ON THE ROAD SHOW CAMPAIGN FOR FEMALE CANDIDATES to endeavour 50% women representation in decision making
With reference to PART SIX article 20 (Gender Based Violence) Young Christian association promotes enhancement of legislation to end violence against women. The Young Women Christian Association drafted the Ant-Gender Based Violence Bill which is now law in Zambia, right now YWCA is advocating for full implementation of Ant-GBV law. YWCA works in three thematic areas: .1. Women Rights program YWCA has strategies aimed at prevention, mitigation and responding to violence against women and girls.

GOOD HUSBANDS CAMPAIGN

PREVENTION STRATEGY

Young Women Christian Association has male driven program (Mens Network). The YWCA Mens Network is in response to evidence that men, in the vast majority of cases, act as the perpetrators in incidents of sexual and gender-based violence. As such, the Mens Network activities have been mostly focused on general sensitization of men about their role in such forms of violence with the goal of preventing future incidents from occurring. The second major activity of the Mens Network has been to expand a cooperative group of men who meet monthly to discuss issues of sexuality, gender, violence, Good Husband Campaign, and health in their own lives and communities. These both generally fall under the title prevention. Young Women Christian Association advocate for laws aimed at gender based violence. YWCA drafted the Ant-Gender Based Violence Bill which is now law to reduce violence against women. Right now YWCA is advocating for full implementation of Ant-GBV law and has since petitioned Minister of Justice to start implementing the law

MITIGATION

Under mitigation YWCA has main drop-in centers were victim of gender based violence seek help, women shelters were women experiencing life threatening home environment are kept awaiting case disposal at courts.

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IS THIS ACTION SUSTAINABLE? CAN IT BE REPLICATED BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS IN YOUR AREA AND BEYOND? Yes, the practice is sustainable and easy to replicate to others since it is very cost effective and directly solving the root cause of Gender based violence through the involvement of problematic husbands labelled as perpetrators

NAME OF GOOD PRACTISE

WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED?

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Male involvement in gender based violence prevention is very important as it addresses the root cause of gender based violence. Our experience shows that worst violence comes from partner more especially Husbands hence need to promote such campaign as GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN which targets to engage problematic husband to prevent gender based violence. Our lesson has been that behavioural change is a process and need gradual intervention and not drastic measures. The Good Husband Campaign should be embraced by all GBV like-minded organizations since it promotes love, peace and violence free homes. Everyone would love to have a GOOD HUSBAND to prevent violence at family level

GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

AUTHOR OF GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN

RAYMOND HAVWALA YWCA Mens Network Coordinator +260976764297 Ywcamensnetwork@gmail.com Raymond.havwala@gmail.com

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

ANY QUESTIONS?
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GOOD HUSBAND CAMPAIGN