Summary
During Mobilising Support trainings by Change the Game Academy, trainees practise the knowledge they gain by writing their own plan for a lobbying or advocacy activity. ZAFELA - Zanzibar Female Lawyer Association wrote a plan to collect gender-based violence data centrally in a database. The aim is to combat and eradicate this widespread practice. In the period that followed, ZAFELA largely succeeded in implementing the plan. The big challenge that remains is to get some government agencies that are not allowed to provide data to the private sector to participate.
Problem analysis
Gender-based Violence (GBV) is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality, directed against a person because of their gender; but the majority of victims are women and girls, and the perpetrators are in majority male. It is a result of power inequalities between women and men. GBV is growing, and in new patterns, in Zanzibar. In Zanzibar the situation of gender-based violence seems to increase day by day when you listen to daily news, but we do not have a special centre where that we can access accurate data on gender-based violence data. This situation leads to duplicate data, as ZAFELA has discovered that a client may seek help in more than one place while experiencing GBV.
Solution analysis
During their Mobilising Support training, ZAFELA developed an action plan called 'Fight against GBV through development of a data base system'. This project aimed to set up a data collection centre on all cases of gender-based violence in Zanzibar to reduce duplicate data and make it easier for those fighting gender-based violence in Zanzibar to know if their efforts are helping reduce it. Having accurate data will also help with new initiatives to eradicate or reduce gender-based violence in Zanzibar.
Stakeholder analysis
Which stakeholders (NGO’s, government, private sector) did you identify as allies and how did you involve them?
NGO’s are the strong allies because they have been involved in collecting opinions on the idea that is about to be established.
We consider the government as allies because the president of Zanzibar indicated in his leadership campaign that he wants gender-based violence to be eradicated in Zanzibar.
Which stakeholders did you identify as neutral and how did you mobilise them?
In this project, the main stakeholders are the CSOs, government and different groups in the community, in short: all organisations encountering cases of gender-based violence. At first, these groups could be considered neutral. ZAFELA endeavored to turn them into allies during the process leading to a data collection system.
Which stakeholders did you identify as opponents and why were they opposed?
Government-related institutions, claiming that they are not allowed to disclose information on gender-based violence to private entities or CSO’s.
Some other stakeholders were pessimistic right from the start of the project. They perceived the new system as something that could never be successful in Zanzibar.
How did you involve your beneficiaries in the stakeholder analysis/campaign?
Empowering GBV survivors and their families to stand in court to fight for their rights and strengthening a multispectral approach by creating closer links between violence protection systems (i.e. police, judiciary, social services, education, NGOs and health service) and GBV victims.
Changing stereotypes and positively promoting the impact of the online database among government officials, including police, judiciary and DPP, through quarterly meetings planned by ZAFELA.
Short description of the organisation implementing the action/campaign
ZAFELA - Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association is a non-profit organisation established in 2003 and officially registered in 2005. The idea of forming this organisation arose due to the many challenges faced by women and children in the community. ZAFELA aims to ensure that women and children are no longer victims of any form of violence by educating them civil and social rights, providing counselling and safeguarding their future by creating awareness of their legal rights and by providing legal aid.
Their mission is to achieve equality and timely legal services to women, disadvantaged groups and the public as whole.
Their vision is a society where justice, equality, the rule of law and social support for all, especially disadvantaged women and children, prevail.
ZAFELA strives to sensitise and empower women and children, ensuring they understand, defend, and promote their rights through media campaigns, advocacy efforts, research, public debates, networking, legal and policy reforms.
Action period
May 12, 2021 - June 17, 2022
Objectives
To establish one data collection centre for all cases related to gender-based violence in Zanzibar.
Action results
The action plan to achieve this goal was largely implemented.
Description of preparatory activities
1. ZAFELA convened various meetings, both internally and with other stakeholders, asking them to suggest the best solutions for the encountered problem of gender-based violence cases.
2. After a series of planning meetings, the system was built and launched. It was called ‘ZAFELA GBV’.
3. Quarterly meetings with data entries so that participants can upload data correctly into the system.
4. Training for GBV survivors on court presentation.
Description of implementation
1. ZAFELA lobbied executive leaders in the government to come to participate in the launch of the system.
2. Moreover they managed to secure the presence of the President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Hon. Dr. Hussein Mwinyi, who came as the guest of honor for the launch of the system and the subsequent event. During the process of inviting the President, ZAFELA made good use of their newly acquired knowledge and skills, such as the CLASP principles, presentation skills, message framing, negotiation and lobbying skills. During the launch, President Mwinyi praised and appreciated the work that ZAFELA does in the community and stressed the need to continue, inviting them to work with the government in solving various social problems.
3. After the launch the data collection system started being used by various stakeholders for the sake of ending gender-based violence in Zanzibar.
4. Complaints involving women and children were reported in the database system.
Description of time investmen
27 days, by staff, board and volunteers
Costs
1) Develop database system: 4,500,000./=
2) Collecting opinion (views) meeting: 1,375,000/=
3) Three days training on the use of database system: 7,860,000/=
4) National dialogue on gender-based violence strategies implementation and database system launching: 7,194,080/=
5) Advocacy for change training: 300,000/=
6) Monitoring and evaluation: 642,000/=
7) Training for GBV survivors on court presentation: 3,365,600/=
8) Quarterly meeting with data entries: 4,051,520/=
9) Quarterly meeting with stakeholders: 2,513,400/=
10) Monitoring and evaluation 642,000/=
Total 32,443,600/=
(All amounts in Tanzanian shillings)
Follow up
Government-related institutions have not accepted to use the system; some of the government manuals limit them to disclose GBV information to a private entity. This is a challenge as it means that some cases from the government will not be reported to the data collection system. The system was established with the aim of collecting all cases including from the various government institutions and because they do not want to use it, it is therefore not possible to reach all key stakeholders.
During a refresher training earlier this year, several participants suggested that ZAFELA should mobilise other stakeholders and arrange a meeting with President Mwinyi. Since the President is the one who launched and appreciated the established initiative, he might want to help pass amendments in the guidelines that prohibit the passing on of information from government institutions to private entities.
Others suggested to consider a role for the media. In Zanzibar problems are often addressed once the media have published about them.
