Sport as a necessary tool to address violence against women and girls

24 November 2011

Friday 25th November will mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a day that urges us all to raise awareness on the true scale and nature of an issue that negatively impacts women, girls, families and whole communities around the world.

Earlier this month organisations working in the field of sport for development and peace (SDP) convened at the Next Steps Conference. Next Steps provided a platform to discuss opportunities for interaction and shared learning in the broad field of SDP, with issues of promoting global partnerships and gender high on the agenda.

In particular, 27 countries resolved to adopt principles which will address gender based violence (GBV) in sport. Emphasis was placed on re-examining the promotion of women's participation in sport as well as exploring how sport can be used as a tool to address GBV in general.

As an organisation that uses sport and play as a tool to address and promote progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including Goal 3 of promoting gender equality and empowering women, Right To Play welcomes the resolution that has come out of Next Steps.

'Our programmes help increase the self-esteem and confidence of girls and address issues relevant to the local context in which we work. This varies from interventions on HIV/AIDS to child protection (including in particular girls' rights), gender inequality or peace building. We also work with boys and youth to develop their ability to cope with and resolve conflict in non violent ways. Our programme evaluation clearly illustrates the unique ability of sport to make substantial progress in addressing and attaining the MDGs including Goal 3' Stacey Cram – Advocacy and Campaigns Manager, Right To Play.

Right To Play's sport and play activities provide a safe space for girls where they can learn about their rights, build their confidence, voice their concerns and access resources, all which lead to preventing and challenging GBV.

Although not a specific programmatic area as yet, Right To Play activities in West and Francophone Africa have already been found to contribute towards preventing GBV, and resources are being modified to ensure that gender issues remain a top priority.

'As we expand our reach and scope as an organisation we will continue to both support girls and women through sport based activities, and seek opportunities to collaborate with other SDP organisations so that together we can continue to use sport as a tool to address and prevent GBV' Stacey Cram – Advocacy and Campaigns Manager, Right To Play.

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