CA C 1 - Raising Voices

CAC 2
308
CAC 2
richer and fuller discussions that extend over 2 hours rather than 1 hour 30 minutes. You could
also consider inviting a guest speaker if that is feasible.
Steps
1. Present a short talk about international human rights conventions and how your organisation is
trying to work to promote them. Refer to the related information sheet (appendix M) or the Preface
to the Resource Guide (page 10) for further information.
2. Here are some ideas of what to include:
■ Discuss briefly the history of how international law and activism has evolved to promote women’s
rights.
■ Give a brief history of the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW).
■ Mention the World Conference on Human Rights and its Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action in 1993.
■ Describe the Declaration on Elimination of Violence Against Women adopted in 1993.
■ Mention if your country is a signatory to the convention and if it has ratified CEDAW.
■ Explain ratification and the obligations for state parties.
■ Give a brief overview of the kind of rights guaranteed in the documents.
■ Explain how your organisation is working within this framework.
■ If available, give copies of the relevant texts to participants (in local languages if possible).
■ Allow time for questions.
■ Discuss how the values embodied in these documents reflect views of people from many
different parts of the world.
Activity 2.12 Cycle of Violence (2 hrs)
Objective
■ Understand the pattern of abusive relationships.
Tip The participants may often ask why women ‘choose’ to remain in abusive relationships. Even
those who are sympathetic to women may often struggle with why many women, despite
apparent offers of help, remain in violent relationships for years. Some counselors or activists
may feel ‘betrayed’ when they go out of their way to assist a woman experiencing domestic
violence and yet the woman returns to the abusive partner once the crisis has subsided. This
can be demoralizing to activists who don’t understand the pattern of an abusive relationship
and may even be used by some to argue for keeping domestic violence within the home and
not a public issue. The following activity may assist in deepening understanding of the patterns
of abusive relationships.
Preparations
■ Draw the Cycle of Violence diagram (page 309) on a flipchart for Part B.
Mobilising Communities to Prevent Domestic Violence