National Women’s Education Center of Japan

　The program, held online, provided participants with an opportunity to learn from each other about how support should ideally be provided based on the survivor-centered approach. Program included SGBV policies and frameworks in Japan and other countries, as well as governmental and private sector initiatives. Based on lectures and discussions, the participants developed action plans to strengthen initiatives in their home countries, which they shared during the Final Presentation Session.
The curriculum consisted of On-demand Program, Preparation Session, Program Orientation and Keynote Speech, Inception Report Presentations, Lectures and Group Exercises, Action Plan Consultation, and the Final Presentation Session. Participants shared information on SGBV response systems in their respective countries, the current situation regarding victimization, and good practices by government and private organizations, and engaged in lively discussions.

　During the 16 days following the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 through to World Human Rights Day on December 10, the United Nations and NGOs join together in a campaign under the slogan “Orange the World” in an effort to strengthen the movement toward the elimination of violence against women. During the program period, various awareness-raising events involving citizens in each country were shared.

　Participants were able to learn about global SGBV issues and the efforts of JICA and related Japanese organizations to eliminate SGBV through resources such as the animated video produced by JICA entitled “Eliminating Gender-based Violence (GBV)” and a video featuring initiatives being taken in Japan, entitled “Towards Eliminating Gender Based Violence – Experience from Japan.”

　As an online live orientation, 16 participants from 12 countries were connected via Zoom. The program began at 4:00 p.m. Japan time, but due to time differences, the participants were gathering across different time zones starting in the morning for Africa and Palestine, and at 8:00 p.m. for Samoa. The keynote speaker, Ms. Mikiko Otani, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, gave an interactive lecture on the definition of SGBV and how to change harmful practices. The participants affirmed that although patterns of violence may vary in each cultural context, there are patriarchal and unequal economic structures underlying this issue. The keynote speech also emphasized the importance of holistic and multidisciplinary collaboration and a survivor-centered approach.

　In the Inception Report Presentation, participants divided into two groups shared the situation in their respective countries. Although there has been progress in domestic legislation to eliminate SGBV in the countries participants represented, there are still deep-rooted harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child and forced marriage, and some situations where the family member settle the case financially out of court without the consent of the survivors.

　Initiatives and experiences from Japan were shared, including public-private partnerships, shelter support based on the victim’s perspective, and programs for offenders. A lecture held on November 21 focused on the functions and roles of the Tokyo Metropolitan Women’s Consultation Center, as well as on the topics of sexual violence and sexual harassment.

　On November 22, a lecture was given regarding private shelters and cooperation between the public and private sectors. Japanese NPO Saya-Saya provides seamless support for women and children who are victims of domestic violence (DV) based on the slogan, “Survivor is the expert.” There was much interest in Saya-Saya’s programs to help women heal physically and mentally, to support their employment, and to raise awareness toward preventing DV.

　On November 23, participants conducted an exercise to develop an action plan. Utilizing the “Project Cycle Management (PCM)” method, they focused on the core problem of “women who are victims of violence do not seek help” and analyzed background of the challenges and objectives in a group exercise.

　On November 24, a lecture was given on efforts aimed at offenders and men in general. AWARE provides educational programs to assist victims by helping DV perpetrators to change their violent behavior and face up to their responsibility for the abuse. Although much of the SGBV support is rightfully directed at victims, participants were reminded of the importance of working with perpetrators over the long term in order to promote sustainable behavioral change.

　On November 28 and 29, each participant was given 30 minutes for consultation regarding their individual action plan. Each participant analyzed the challenges and objectives around their core problem they have set and presented a draft action plan.

　On November 30 and December 1, participants gave presentations on their action plans incorporating a survivor-centered approach and multi-agency collaboration, with such themes as “Efforts to eliminate SGBV against young women,” “Efforts to eliminate sexual harassment by fathers-in-law,” “Basic study towards shelter operation,” “Economic empowerment for women affected by SGBV,” “Creation of a comprehensive national SGBV database,” and so on. JICA’s Senior Advisor on Gender and Development made comments on action plans and possible future bilateral cooperation. By the end of the program, participants recognized that SGBV occurs not only in their own countries, but in countries all over the world, and voiced their wish to continue to collaborate and exchange information in tackling this global issue.

　We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all those involved for their cooperation in putting this program together.