COFEM, the Coalition of Feminists for Social Change, was formed in 2016 following a two-day convening of academics, activists and practitioners from around the world, to develop concrete actions that ensure women and girls are consistently centred in humanitarian and development efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls (VAWG). This convening was a continuation of the struggle for equality that women have been engaged in globally for generations, and the last three decades have indeed seen some progress. Feminist analysis and activism, along with strong local, national and international women’s movements have elevated VAWG – including in armed conflict and natural disasters – into the public domain.
However, over the last ten years, we see the focus on VAWG without the socio-political analysis of gender inequality or fully-articulated theory of violence has led to humanitarian and development interventions that don’t address the lived experiences of women and girls or recognise the constraints to claim our rights. This contributes to a failure to link acts of sexual or physical violence to the broader context of intersecting oppressions of race, class, patriarchy and post-colonial power. Furthermore, Global North agendas and interventions focused on research, cost and ROI undermine women and girls’-centred, led and rights-driven initiatives. This often results in the leadership and voices of women and girls being muted or silenced altogether, contributing to a shrinking space that manifests in multiple ways, all linked by the depoliticisation of VAWG:
– Rise of gender neutrality within humanitarian discourse and practice;
– Emergence of competition around victimhood;
– Shift from women- and girl-led VAWG initiatives to a technocratic approach to ending violence;
– Different interpretations of what “gender-based violence” (GBV) entails;
– Lack of clarity about how VAWG intersects with other forms of interpersonal and collective violence; and
– Lack of analysis on how to include men and boys in work to eradicate VAWG in a way that is accountable to women and girls.
