Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP)

CEDOVIP's objectives are to:

• mobilise the community in Kampala District to change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate domestic violence;
• promote and enable national prevention and response to domestic violence; and
• create a supportive environment by influencing attitudes and actions that upholds women’s human rights, particularly the right to safety.

The following core strategies have been adopted by CEDOVIP in order to achieve its objectives:

• Strengthening capacity: Building the capacity of staff and strategically identified professionals in the community by helping them understand the impact of violence against women and then motivating them to uphold women’s rights and priorities within their own places of work. This programme is aligned most closely with policy and health care workers, but also involves law enforcement officials and other civil society personnel.
• Spurring local activism: Engaging with women and men at the grassroots level to raise awareness about, and prevent, domestic violence. Activities include community theatre (edutainment), dialogues, impromptu discussions, booklet clubs, digital video watch groups, etc.
• Carrying out advocacy: Using the print and electronic media and face-to-face interactions to increase exposure to issues around women’s rights and domestic violence. CEDOVIP lobbies teachers and community leaders, works to influence portrayal of women in the media (e.g., through radio programmes and newspaper columns), and coordinates major events like the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women.
• Creating learning materials: Producing behaviour change communication (BCC) materials that are designed to be colourful ways of provoking discussion on the issue of domestic violence and women’s rights. The materials, such as murals, posters, booklets, and info packs, are used as programme tools to promote change.

The organisation's activities are centred on the following programme areas:



1. Domestic Violence Prevention Demonstration Project:

• Local Activism Department: This works with trained volunteers (equal numbers of women and men) to engage community members and local leaders to prevent violence against women at the grassroots level. Activities within Local Activism include: booklet clubs, Community Action Groups, street theatre, building supportive environments in beauty salons and barber shops, Domestic Violence Watch Groups, traditional marriage counsellors called ssengas groups, and public events. There is also a Community Action Fund to help (women) survivors of domestic violence who need legal assistance or a place of safety. In addition, activities include community volunteers/counsellors' trainings and citizen of the year awards to those community members who have been exemplary in their behaviour towards women’s rights.
• Men’s Programme: Under the Men’s Programme, the Local Activism department seeks fuller and more meaningful engagement with men and works with 20 trained volunteers called Male Activists, to specifically engage men to prevent violence against women. Activities within this programme include: Peer-to-peer discussions, out reach at leisure places and sporting events, working with local music (male) artists, and couple seminars.
• Building Capacity Department: This works with staff of institutions (police, social workers, religious leaders, health care workers, and staff of organisations within Kampala District to influence policy and practice within the workplace around women's rights and domestic violence. Activities include a comprehensive Community Activism Course workshop series, seminars, extensive one-on-one support to resource persons, and steering committee meetings with leaders of the police and health care workers. This department also works towards the development and publication of working tools i.e. a police violence against women handbook and designing and writing a health workers violence against women handbook.
• Media and Advocacy Department: This department uses multimedia (radio, TV, newspaper) to influence public dialogue regarding women's status and rights within their families and the community. This department also works with other NGOs, local leaders, and organised bodies (i.e. journalists, editors, etc.) to influence practice within civil society around women’s rights and domestic violence. The department, through lobbying local councils, policy makers, and parish chiefs, recently passed and is spearheading the implementation of a domestic violence by-law with in Kawempe division.

Learning Materials Department: This department creates materials in popular formats for use in public activities to emphasise women's rights and the importance of public dialogue and action to prevent domestic violence. Materials include: Community murals, info sheets, posters, and booklets that discuss gender, violence, and rights.

2. National Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative:

• National Training course: This includes the design and facilitation of a comprehensive National Training Course to enable at least 10 organisations from different communities/districts in Uganda to become skilled at domestic violence prevention.
• Learning Centre: This hosts colleagues from Uganda to work alongside staff of CEDOVIP and Raising Voices to gain exposure to and experience in community mobilisation strategies and become skilled at domestic violence prevention programming. The Learning Centre demonstrates the community mobilisation project and strengthens the capacity of others to address domestic violence in their own communities and organisations.
• Technical support: CEDOVIP staff visits each participating organisation and gives at least one week each year to onsite technical support. The technical support also includes monitoring and assessment of organisational issues that may hamper effective implementation of the domestic violence prevention project.

3. National Advocacy Programme:

• Media campaign: This focuses on two key themes annually, each for two quarters. Electronic and print media is utilised which includes one daily English national paper as well as one vernacular paper that are distributed countrywide. Additionally, radio is used extensively, focusing on those stations that have national coverage. The activities include: newspaper campaign, radio campaign, television campaign, editor’s seminars, and journalist seminars.
• Influencing Policy and Coalition Building: CEDOVIP advocates for positive change within the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government to work toward a more supportive legal and policy framework in Uganda that operationalises women’s human rights. CEDOVIP does this independently and in collaboration with other organisations. CEDOVIP works in collaboration with other NGOs, government ministries, and other stakeholders to advocate for more attention and investment in domestic violence prevention in Uganda. Activities include: policy advocacy, petitions and public events, 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women campaign, National Domestic Violence Awareness Week, and domestic violence conferences.

Rights, Women, Gender.

CEDOVIP began under the Domestic Violence Prevention Project (DVPP) through a tripartite partnership between the National Association of Women's Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU), Raising Voices, and Action Aid-Uganda in August 2000. According to organisers, due to the strength, successes, and increased demand for the work, the project became an independent NGO in January 2003.