COFEM Feminist Pocketbook

The Coalition of Feminists for Social Change (COFEM)

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https://www.genderhealthhub.org/articles/cofem-feminist-pocketbook/

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Global

50 mins

4 downloads

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What you'll learn

Key Takeaways

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What you'll learn

10 ‘tip sheets’ on key topics to address GBV in humanitarian and development settings

10 tip sheets to support a feminist approach to prevent GBV
For practitioners, researchers and activists, in humanitarian and development settings
Tip sheets 2, 7, 8, and 9 are particularly relevant for designing and impementing GBV programmes with a gendered lens

Providing a common theoretical understanding of feminist approaches

What's in the pocketbook?

The Feminist Pocketbook is a series of 10 tip sheets to inform practitioners, researchers, and activists around key topics to address gender-based violence (GBV). It aims to reinforce a feminist approach towards GBV efforts, in order to effectively address the structural inequalities that contribute to violence against women and girls.

Who is it for?

This resource is primarily for practitioners, researchers and activists working to prevent and respond to GBV in development and humanitarian settings. However, it also aims to support those communities in engaging effectively with policymakers, donors and other stakeholders, in order to drive greater impact on this issue in different contexts globally.

A woman in a headscarf laughs and smiles.

When GBV programmes shift focus away from tackling gender inequality, patriarchy and intersectionality, the programme funding, design and implementation also become de-centred from women and girls’ needs and rights.

Tip Sheet 2

Key Takeaways

Adopt a feminist approach

A common theoretical understanding of feminist approaches to end GBV is key and a feminist perspective is essential for approaches to end GBV in order to understand and dismantle underpinning systems of power.

Maintain focus on women and girls

GBV programmes should maintain a core focus on women and girls to maintain the quality, quantity, and funding for these much-needed initiatives. Efforts addressing violence against women and men should be distinct.

Cross-collaboration can prove beneficial

Joint efforts between GBV programmes and other programmes addressing violence may be beneficial to address common risk factors, but specialised programmes for women and girls should still exist.

Strategies should be multi-level and address potential for backlash

Backlash against GBV efforts for women and girls will often occur in the forms of verbal harassment, online harassment, physical abuse, or sexual abuse. To mitigate this, strategies for how to frame, organise, and engage the community in GBV efforts should be implemented.