#PauseforPurpose
Join the #PauseforPurpose Campaign
Join the #PauseforPurpose Campaign
The #PauseforPurpose campaign is a call to all stakeholders to pause and critically analyse the Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG/the Convention) in order to form a view on whether the Convention is fit for purpose.
What can you contribute to the campaign?
1.
Political Engagement
One important area is political engagement, which involves reaching out to commissioners at the African Commission, members of the Pan-African Parliament, the AU secretariat, member states both within their respective jurisdictions and at AU missions, UN agencies, and AU liaison offices.
2.
WRO and CSO Education, Engagement and Mobilization
Another key contribution is through education, engagement, and mobilization of women’s rights organizations (WROs) and civil society organizations (CSOs). This includes working with national feminist groups and WROs, legal CSOs, and regional CSOs to strengthen their knowledge and involvement in the process.
3.
Advocacy and Communication
Advocacy and communication also play a central role in the campaign. This may involve developing a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document on the CEVAWG, conducting national-level civil society surveys to understand perspectives and aspirations, issuing statements to mobilize civil society, member states, AU organs, and the wider public, as well as producing explainer videos and hosting webinars.
4.
Knowledge Production and Management
The campaign also emphasizes knowledge production and management, ensuring that resources such as an FAQ document and a dedicated website are available to inform and support stakeholders.
5.
Coordination
Finally, coordination is critical. This includes co-creating knowledge products such as reports and content analyses, and using them to drive advocacy and communications, as well as organizing convenings and mobilizations.
Apply For Membership
Membership Form
The #PauseforPurpose campaign is a call to all stakeholders to pause and critically analyse the convention in order to form a view on whether the convention is fit for purpose.
We believe that instead of investing time and resources pursuing ratification of the Convention, it is important to pause, reflect, analyse the Convention, consult widely, seek accountability and learn the lessons needed to ensure Africa ends up with a Convention that is capable of achieving the objective – to end all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls. #PauseforPurpose invites all stakeholders – including civil society organisations, governments, development partners, activist and human rights defenders to pause and reflect in order to prioritise the need for a Convention that will create an enabling legal normative framework informed by the lived realities of African women and girls, rather than pursuing symbolic ratification for its own sake. The long-term value of this Convention will depend not only on its adoption and ratification but also on whether it is supported by institutions that work, informed by users who understand the system, and capable of delivering meaningful change in the lives of women and girls across Africa.