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Gender and Security Toolkit
and stereotypes are addressed, efforts to promote the recruitment and retention of women
to build a judiciary which is more representative will be more difficult, as will efforts to
protect people against GBV and facilitate equal access to justice. Outreach activities and
public information campaigns that highlight and challenge stereotypes and biases related
to gender over time can help change attitudes which perpetuate violence, such as what it
means to be “a real man” or “a good wife”. Likewise, raising awareness of legal rights and
how to assert them is critical to legal empowerment for women and marginalized groups.
Public campaigns can take a range of forms, including billboards, television advertisements,
TV and radio programmes, community events, town-hall meetings, workshops, online
spaces, school visits and so on (see section 4.4). In Nepal, for instance, broad public
outreach campaigns have been undertaken to raise awareness of women’s rights and their
understanding of the justice system. Information was communicated via TV, radio and social
media, and taken to schools and other public meeting places in a number of communities
with a mobile documentary show. Members of the community, including non-state justice
providers, were invited to visit justice system institutions to demystify the system and
develop mutual understanding.
The internet is an increasingly effective means of sharing information, but due regard
should be given to communities that lack internet access or may be illiterate, and to the fact
that in some communities women constitute the majority of those illiterate, or otherwise
have their access to education and information restricted. Regard should also be given to
the misinformation that can be disseminated via the media, which can counter efforts to
educate and increase respect towards others.
Targeted education programmes, consultations, workshops and public events can be used to
raise awareness and empower. Often such initiatives require prior liaison and confidencebuilding with gatekeepers and leaders to ensure they secure the necessary buy-in, are
sensitive to context, are likely to be attended and convey the intended messages.
Legal empowerment also requires that women, marginalized groups and others are aware
of their own agency and capacity to affect change. Confidence-building measures may be
needed, as well as specific programmes and safe places to meet.
Challenging societal norms and stereotypes can be supported by building the capacity of
CSOs, as well as building relationships between justice sector institutions and civil society
actors working on women’s rights and gender equality issues.
Challenging societal gender norms and stereotypes which cause harm and compromise
efforts to promote gender equality can significantly contribute to efforts to develop a more
representative and responsive justice sector. These efforts help counter impunity, promote
security, advance women’s empowerment and achieve gender equality. Taken together,
a justice sector which promotes gender equality and non-discrimination can lead to
transformational change within society – towards more equitable gender power relations,
improved security and equitable access to justice.
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