This document provides strategies for building a movement to address violence against women in the Caribbean. It recommends using consciousness raising and participation to engage people on a personal level and give them ways to contribute. The WomenSpeak Project is highlighted as an online forum that encourages Caribbean women to share their stories of discrimination. Maintaining engagement over the long term requires building relationships, collaborating with other groups, and securing adequate resources to sustain the movement. No single person can drive change alone - it takes input from allies who are committed to the cause.

1. HOW TO BUILD A MOVEMENT
A Strategic Approach to
addressing the issue of Violence
Against Women in the Caribbean
Simone Leid
Founder – The WomenSpeak Project
http://womenspeak.tumblr.com

2. THE CARIBBEAN REGION

3. The Region
• Caribbean region has population of over 35
million.
• Largest Caribbean nations (Cuba, Dominican
Republic, Puerto Rico) are spanish speaking.
• Largest English-Speaking island is Jamaica with
a population of over 3 million.
• The Smallest islands have populations of less
than 100 000.

4. The Anglo-Caribbean
• Population comprises mostly people of African
Descent
• Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana (continental
Caribbean) have large numbers of Indian
descended people
• Small numbers of European, Chinese,
Syrian/Lebanese descended people
throughout the islands.

5. Overview of VAW in the Anglo-Caribbean
• Trinidad and Tobago - Deaths from cases
of domestic violence have quadrupled over a
five-year period from 2004 to 2008
• Barbados – half of all murders in 2011 were
the result of domestic violence
• St. Kitts – 24% of court cases are for sexual
offenses (2010)
• Three of the top ten recorded rape rates in the
world are in the Caribbean. (2007)

6. Several Governmental and Non-
Governmental Agencies have been
working on ending VAW for years.

7. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• LAWS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STRENGHTED
• CREATION OF GOV’T DEPARTMENTS DEALING
WITH WOMEN’S AND GENDER AFFAIRS
• RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
ON VAW
• INCREASED NUMBER OF NGO NETWORKS
ACROSS REGION DEALING WITH VAW

8. But incidents of rape, domestic
violence and murder of women
continue unabated

9. BUT WHY?
HOW COME?

10. Social and Cultural beliefs and
attitudes that perpetuate the tacit
acceptance of violence against
women are INGRAINED

11. For real change to occur we need to
reach the minds and hearts of the
general population

12. We need to challenge
the gender conditioning and
gender stereotyping which allows
discrimination against women to
continue.

13. But often the manner in which we
receive information about VAW can
make us feel overwhelmed

14. “WOMAN SET ON FIRE
After quarrel over
money with lover.."
“ MOTHER OF SEVEN
BRUTALLY CHOPPED TO
DEATH ”
“No bail for three charged with
rape of mom, daughter”
Man gets HIV from
wife. Kills her. Gets
25 years
Six year old
girl found
murdered
“…between January and April 2011, there were 161 reported
cases of incest, rape and sexual offences against children

15. Instead of being inspired to act people
retreat and become disconnected and
desensitized
VAW
STATISTICS NEWSAPAPER
HEADLINES

16. So how do you get people to engage
with the issue of VAW
?

17. You help people see how VAW
affects them on a personal level

18. And you help them find simple
ways in which they feel they can
contribute to change

19. You create
a
MOVEMENT

20. To create a Movement you need a
critical mass
of people who share a
common vision
and are willing to
take action
to create change

21. Key Elements for Building a
Movement
CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING
&
PARTICIPATION

22. THE WOMENSPEAK PROJECT
An online forum that encourages
Caribbean women to tell their
stories of discrimination - in the
home, at work and in the public
domain

23. THE STRATEGY
Consciousness Raising
Involving women in the process of
identifying how discrimination affects
their everyday lives

25. THE STRATEGY
Consciousness Raising
Educating about gender
discrimination gives people the
tools to discourse and analyze the
issues

27. THE STRATEGY
Participation
Allow people to contribute their own
analysis to the discourse on
discrimination against women

29. THE STRATEGY
Participation
Give people the opportunity to
share information, dialogue, and
explore the issues

32. CHALLENGES

33. HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED?

34. Continued ENGAGEMENT requires
a great investment of
Time and Creativity

35. You need to build RELATIONSHIPS

36. And constantly seek out new and
interesting ways to get people to
PARTICIPATE

38. BUILDING CROSS-SCALE NETWORKS
is essential to enable you to reach
those outside your circle of influence

39. TO BUILD CROSS-SCALE NETWORKS
Collaborate
on projects with other interest groups
ARTISTS / UNIONS / COMPANIES

40. Changing attitudes and beliefs
takes a long time.

41. But without adequate Resources
and Relationships your Movement
will become stagnant and die.

42. A bit of Advice?

43. It only takes one person to start a
Movement but it takes consistent
input from various people to
nurture and sustain it

44. You can’t do it alone.
You need ALLIES who are as
committed as you are to the cause

45. Thank You.