Effective advocacy and mobilisation: What is your change agenda and how do you achieve it?

1. Effective advocacy and mobilisation: What is your change agenda and how do you achieve it? Vivienne Weefor the Feminist Leadership Workshop,Programme on Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Development (WELDD), organised by Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), Cairo, 13-20 Jan 2013

2. Form 2-person partnerships • 2 persons from different countries • Review partnerships at end of 16 Jan.

3. What do these terms mean? • Advocacy • Mobilisation • Change agenda Exercise 1 • Draw your understanding of the terms. • Explain your drawings to each other. • One person per partnership will show and explain the drawings to the group.

4. Key words • Advocacy: taking a stand, picking on issue, speaking out + other comms • Mobilisation: people, grassroots (family, work, school), gathering people around your stand. • Change agenda: public policy, legislation, tribal laws, practices, etc. – POWER: reshape power structure

5. Where do you think advocacy and mobilisation are located – in the big blue circle or the small red circle? • What do the two circles mean to you?

6. Do you agree? • Advocacy = how a minority influences a majority • Mobilisation = how a minority becomes a majority • If you agree, can you provide examples? • If you disagree, give reasons.

7. Advocacy and mobilisation = how you bring about change • But what do you want to change? Why? • That’s your change agenda. Exercise 2 • Identify one issue that makes you angry (e.g. policy, law, practice or situation). • Explain why you are angry about this. • Are you doing anything about this issue? • If so, what are the results of your action? If you have not done anything, why not? • What lessons have you learnt?

8. Lessons (1) • Sexual harassment: campaign, recruited sexual harasser • Angry about the Turkish Govt trying to reinforce trade agreement with Senegal by funding most conservative Muslim ed institutions, while pretending to be secular to enter EU. Writing paper for press. • Angry about some people in Egypt, who were in the revolution and who have not changed their behaviour, e.g. elections • Angry about women’s status in Saudi Arabia, esp education (opportunity for access) – high schools. Which rights? Consent in marriage? Dress code and right of mobility? Not yet – learning about advocacy.

9. Lessons (2) • Angry about women not elected, not even nominated in Syria. They don’t know rights. Amira ran for local council and won. Female minority. Vice-Pres. Pushing women to participate in politics – run for elections. • Sexual harassment in Egypt in public sphere. Attacks and insults – unsafe. Affects them economically. Campaign: movement to tackle this: (1) go to police for cooperation, (2) talk to people on the streets. Aim: women are safe on the streets. Lesson: women speak out in public – make issue visible, debunk notion that women like this. • Angry for children from marriages of N + S Sudanese, who cannot go to school in the North. Change happens: 5 children can now go to school.

10. Lessons (3) • Angry about Article 36 in Egyptian Constitution: limits women to domestic field, dependent. Demonstration in front of Parliament: article to protect women’s autonomy. Article 36 dropped; but new article adopted with same content. Sexual violence bars women from the streets. Women become aggressive in self-defence. Documentation. Egypt, Jordan, Arab World. Making the problem visible improves the situation. Need to understand root causes. Attack of women’s human rights defenders. • Angry about arbitrary arrests of WHRD in Iraq, e.g. journalists. Security involved in war and politics of fear. Participated in campaign about woman arrested in Iraq – freed. Laws don’t protect women. Conventions not implemented, CEDAW.

11. Do you agree? • It’s easier to say what you don’t want than to say what you want. • Why? • Because what you don’t want is in front of you but what you want does not exist yet. • If you only know what you don’t want without knowing what you want = politics of protest / critique / rejection with no change agenda. • Result: crisis of change without direction!

12. Sites of change • Huairou Manual p. 18

13. Change is a journey but you must know where you are going. • “Destination” required for air ticket, train ticket, bus ticket, even if open-dated (i.e. time stretched). Exercise 3 • Return to the issue that makes you angry in Exercise 2. • Do you have in mind an alternative that would make you happier? • Describe your alternative, if any. • Explain how you arrived at this alternative: e.g. your own thought process, reading books & papers, suggestions by others, dialogue and debate, etc.? • If you have never thought of any alternative, explain why not. • Answer the 3 questions above.

14. Clarifications • What is systemic change? Change root causes that produce and reproduce certain patterns – quality of change. • Change is a journey: it takes time: many phases. • Strategic opportunities and moments • Continuum of sexual violence. • Religious interpretations as a source of moralities – context-specific understanding of women’s human rights. • Managing contradictions: what we agree and disagree on – building multi-tier platforms • Winning allies and the diversity of allies: building a constituency – quantity of demand for change. • Customising our message.

15. How do we envision change – from what (baseline) to what (goal)? • Why do you think your goal is better than the current situation? • What is “better”? • Better for whom? Intended beneficiaries. • Not better for whom? Potential opponents.

16. Adding up your potential beneficiaries & potential opponents Potential beneficiaries You Potential opponents

17. Are the potential beneficiaries all on your side? • Yes: • No: • Maybe some: • Why? • Why not?

18. How can we win over potential beneficiaries who are not on our side? Exercise 4 • Have you ever tried to win over someone (anyone) to support the change you envision? • What were the results? What worked? What did not work? • If you have never tried to do this, why not?

19. Lessons of how to win over others • Start with the other person’s point of view and support with research, evidence, statistics. • Refer to the other person’s experiences • Speak the other person’s language. • Pick the right moment. • Just do it! Ignore objections. Let them get used to it. Be prepared to pay the price. • Use your own experience to empower other women. • Results speak for themselves – economic empowerment, income, concrete benefits. Success stories.

20. Rank the relative effectiveness of different ways of winning support • Logic of your argument? 1, • Endorsement by someone well-known person (allies)? 1 • Coverage by mainstream media (allies)? 1 • Repetition of your message? 1 • Rejecting the message of your opponents? • Showing the long-term benefit of your proposed change to society as a whole? 1 • Offering some short-term benefits (allies)? 1 • Expressing understanding of the difficulties faced by people (allies)? 1 • Aligning your message to people’s needs (allies)? 1 x 2 • Other methods? Support from officials (allies); innovative ways of communication, e.g. human chain

21. Constituency • Core group: 100% • Partners: other organisations, communities, individuals • Allies: limited support on some occasions; they don’t do things with you.

22. Change does not happen in a vacuum! • Change has to happen among people. • People are not just isolated individuals. • People are in relationships: e.g. families, kin groups, communities, religious congregations, friendships, working relations, etc. • Which part of your message aligns with the interests of people in their relational contexts? • E.g. family health and well-being, education of the young, social stability, good governance, equitable economic development, etc. • Show linkages between these desired social aims and women’s human rights.

23. Instrumental argument: women’s rights as means to some other end • Rights-based argument: women’s rights are an end in itself. • Negotiate differences: part of democracy. • Diversity: different but equal.

24. What you want (at least a part) must become what they want. • Identify a group of people you would like to win over as partners and allies: • Grassroots women: econ needs, right to mobility (work, shops), repro rights, health care, social insurance, safety for families , education, housing, want their voices heard • House maids / domestic workers: contracts, health insurance, union, work safety, protection from violence, econ needs (min. salary), certified experience, limited working hours • Youths, students: representation, voices heard, jobs, training, subsidies, protection from exploitation • Trade unions: min wages, social security, freedom of assembly & association • Political parties: power, votes, donations, volunteers, members, international popularity, protection from ruling party • Civil society: money, volunteers, legal protection, independence of government, networking, recognition, credibility • Do you know what their needs and priorities are? How do you know? Did you find out from them? Or are you just guessing? (Research: membership, interviews, training, joint advocacy, documentation) • Is there a part of your message that can align with their needs and priorities? (Messaging: work with relevant NGOs – rural areas, training of trainers, market grassroot women’s products, IDPs) • Are you working with any of these groups? Results? What worked? What did not work?

25. Capacity • Overwhelmed • Balance between capacity and priority • Be specific about who you want as partners • Have strong tool of evaluation: know what your real capacity is: e.g. members of NGO, expertise (e.g. negotiation skills) • Networking and volunteerism: management • Start small, build on your success. • Planning skills • Communication skills • Management skills • Organisational development: plan • Support and capacity building • Individuals in NGOs + NGOs: succession & sustainability

26. Is this compromise? • Not if you know what your GOAL is. • The entry point for dialogue and potential agreement is not the goal. Points of departure Goal Entry points

27. How to agree and disagree • Example: Indonesian feminists in dialogue with women’s wing (Aisiyah) of religious group (Muhammadiyah) • Agree about stopping domestic violence • Disagree about Anti-Pornography Law

28. Which is more effective?

29. Becoming more effective in advocacy and mobilisation Exercise 6 • Have you ever tried either Approach 1 or Approach 2? • What were the results? What worked? What did not work? • If you have never tried either, why not?

30. Do you agree? • Mobilisation should go hand in hand with advocacy. • Why? • Mobilisation = building a constituency and a movement • Advocacy: more effective when it represents the interests of a constituency • Some starting point to guide participation -- interactive

31. After gaining an entry point, how do you deepen collaboration? • What are the assumptions of your partners and allies? • Examples? • To what extent are you able to address some assumptions that do not support your goal? • Are there some people who can be encouraged more than others?

32. What about your potential opponents? • Who are they? • Are there divisions among them? • What are their agendas and interests? • How do they benefit from the status quo? • Do they have other change agendas? • Your change agenda is not the only one! • How can you overcome your opponents?

33. Lessons (opponents) • Understand and use the power structure. • Make visible the contradictions: have an opponent of the opponent:

34. Do you think that democracy has failed you? • Is democracy given or taken? • Are women’s rights given or taken? • Is your change agenda able to compete with other change agendas? • Does it matter whether you have a small or large constituency? • Does it matter who your allies are? • Does it matter how you strategise?

35. Film: Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women • Launched on 25 November 1997 • Aim: end violence against women that is excused or justified in the name of “culture”, “tradition” or religion. • Coordinated by Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)

36. The learning process

37. What have you learnt? • What is the most important thing you learnt yesterday? • What will you do with what you have learnt? • Practice • Najat (Voices of Libyan Women): discussion saloon (4-5 hours) – step by step sharing through Q&A; after that each will go to a school for more sharing, especially religious lessons in the evening. • Iranian activists: before meeting, agree to organise 4-6 meetings, pre-departure condition for participation: translation of materials, contact details of orgs, potential replication. • Formal process -- also WLUML. Formal staff meetings, briefings, notes, action items, recommendations to the Board – clear meeting outcomes.

38. Hekma’s suggestion: transnational network to do international advocacy. • WLUML

39. Is it useful to you to continue learning about advocacy and mobilisation? • If so, how can you continue your learning process in an effective way? • Moving from theoretical to practical – steps • Reflexivity: reflecting on what you are doing, conscious of your consciousness. • Process documentation: evaluation – what worked, what didn’t work and why

40. Your suggestions: Yourself • Find resources (Web), attend workshops, read books – share with org • Planning for trainings: discuss with Board • Compile materials from related workshops [key words] • Diaries, blogs – self-documentation of your inner of being

41. Sharing: • Email, twitter, FB

42. Parking lot • Rights

43. Call to action: information needed • Exactly what happened – when, where: details • What we know for sure: how many people died, any one claiming responsibility? • Check with people who experienced the attack: what do they want us to do? Not always practical? Let’s look at contexts – (1) massacres, actions of war can be condemned straight away. (2) But if individuals are arrested, then consult with their families. • If they want our help, to whom should we address the letter, e.g. President, Prime Minister, embassies, UN Human Rights Commission (depending on topic), UN Security Council • Draft the letter in very polite language, diplomatic • What do we want them to do? E.g. holding the Government responsible. • Send the letter to sister organisations to ask them to write – many letters are more effective. • Alternative: or one letter signed by many organisations in 1 country – less effective. • Fax, email, hard copy (presented to embassy) • Pass to the media

44. What is WELDD? • This is the WELDD- WLUML Leadership Workshop. • Do you know what WELDD is?

45. Women’s empowerment and leadership development for democratisation (WELDD) • Multi-country programme (2012-15): • ShirkatGah Women's Resource Centre (SG), Pakistan • Institute for Women's Empowerment (IWE), Asian regional NGO • Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), international solidarity network • Objective: strengthen and sustain women's feminist and transformative leadership in public life & political participation. • Principles: • Women leaders must be able to mobilise others (male and female) to take collective actions to build gender-equitable futures – leadership as the capacity to mobilise others. • Women’s leadership must be sustainable, with younger women able to continue the struggle.

46. You and WLUML

47. How do you see Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)? • What was your knowledge / view of WLUML before this workshop? • Did this workshop change this? • What is your current knowledge / view of WLUML? • Use of religion as a resource for women’s rights • Differentiation between what is really religious and what is customary / traditional • Empowering women and youth, challenging Islamic governments using Islam to oppress women • Had misconception of WLUML as working within religious framework – more of transnational feminism • Looking at women’s rights from multiple perspectives, including other religions

48. Can the WLUML network be useful to you? • If so, how? What can you get from the WLUML network? • Something that unites us – a sense of wholeness. • Pressure tool: updates on research, mechanisms – international support • International network – important to support local campaigns (e.g. Kurdish campaign in Iraq): exchange of support across borders – all can contribute • Non-governmental, non-Western, South-South • WLUML support for stoning campaigns in Sudan – very successful (women freed, won cases, letter to President) • Knowing that there’s always someone who cares about you: safe haven

49. What would you contribute to the WLUML network that could benefit others? • Useful for WLUML: regional focal persons in every country • How to be a volunteer for WLUML? • Exchange of support across borders – all can contribute. • Exchange of ideas, knowledge. • WLUML doesn’t exist apart from its network members. • WLUML: not a Muslim org, but all women affected by Muslim laws. • Ability to criticise our contexts, e.g. use of religion to oppress women. • Space to share projects on WELDD-WLUML site, stories of women’s success against all odds

50. Four thematic groups • Sexual violence: continuum (harassment – rape / murder – all) – power over women’s lives and bodies (no autonomy) • Who is violent: state, men, women? • Women as the people who are subject to violence. • Political participation: formal / informal, political analysis, resistance (pol action), advocate for / against, state structure – what are you advocating to? Movement building. • Economic empowerment: help the poor vs. root causes of poverty, absolute vs relative poverty, capitalism in the world / global capitalism, where is your national economy in this global system, relations of exploitation and gender hierachy • Research: methods, field research, participatory research, community research Questions: • What are the top 3 priorities in this area of work? • What information is needed? • What support is needed? • What will members of this group contribute – individual and/or organisation?