AMES and SDG 5
How does the global community collaborate to make progress on some of our toughest challenges? In part, by setting shared goals and targets.
Adopted in 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an integrated set of 17 goals which seek to ‘Leave No One Behind’ aiming for ‘zeros’ in several categories related to poverty, hunger, discrimination against women and girls, and several others. Overall, the SDGs call for universal action to ‘end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030’, and this work requires all nations – high- and low-income alike – to take part.
AMES PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN LEADERSHIP COURSES
In 2017, 37 leaders successfully graduated from AMES initial PVAW leadership course with skills and knowledge to lead actions in preventing violence within their individual CALD communities and the broader diverse Australian society.
Over the course of 12 sessions, PVAW leaders gained key knowledge and skills in:
- understanding types and causes of violence against women
- using a range of prevention strategies and approaches specific to their CALD communities
- applying a primary prevention framework to stop violence before it occurs
- accessing appropriate resources, partnerships and networks
- public speaking and collaboration with the media
The engagement of men is crucial in reducing levels of violence in Australian society regardless of culture, ethnicity or race, however, men have proved to be much more difficult to recruit. With active engagement by AMES, the PVAW program was successful in having men form more than a third of the graduates. These men are able to role model respectful gender relationships in action and how to build and support women in leadership positions for their communities. The 2019 graduating group consisted of 22 women and 7 men, a total of 29 new leaders.
The program promotes women’s safety and wellbeing through a culturally responsive education program for all genders around gender equality and empowerment. The AMES PVAW program directly contributes to the following SDG targets:
- Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
- Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
- Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
Women’s participation in leadership capacities directly relates to SDG Target 5.5 on encouraging effective participation in the wider community, moving positively towards greater gender equality.
The initial group of graduates successfully created a series of five post cards in 13 of the participants’ languages, promoting the AMES PVAW program and directly contributing to SDG Target 5.2 by spreading awareness about forms of violence against women. The messages encourage members of CALD communities to recognise gender equality and treat women with respect, as well as standing up to any violence they see in their community.
#iampartofthechange
During the 2018 course, 28 participants wrote and produced the #iampartofthechange digital poem in partnership with Some Kind of Squirrel Productions. The powerful, emotionally charged video is a call to action on preventing violence against women. The speakers are all from CALD communities, but the videos do not emphasise a multicultural aspect to the problem.
By reflecting people of diverse backgrounds in the video, CALD people can recognise themselves, but viewers also understand that violence against women impacts all corners of society irrespective of cultural or national identity.
In bringing attention to the severity and importance of collective action against domestic violence, the digital poem supports AMES ambition to address SDG Targets 5.1 and 5.2 – ending discrimination and violence against women.
Please take the time to watch the video below:
Women in CALD communities experience additional risk factors for becoming victims of family and domestic violence. Gender inequality is the key to violence against women and girls. The PVAW Program with its leadership courses successfully bring to light the importance of ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women. One of the ways SDG 5 on achieving gender equality is being accomplished by AMES Australia is through this important program.
Written by Taahira Rajudin and edited by AMES Research and Policy, and Prevention of Violence Against Women (PVAW) teams