Advocacy and development are activities that represent and promote the needs of specific groups in political and social arenas. One such group is women, who can collectively pressure their leaders for legislative reforms to protect and promote women’s rights and concerns. It is the goal of advocacy groups and lobbyists to ensure that both the public and politicians understand and support their cause, so that it gains strength and credibility. Securing rights and gains for women requires coalition-building, funding, civic education, awareness-raising and individuals willing to lead the way.
While the goals of advocacy and development are similar, the processes are distinctly different. Advocacy involves gaining and exercising power to influence a political action. Employing methods such as demonstrations, public campaigns and civic education, advocacy can be the primary mission of international agencies and civil society organizations seeking to influence global and national decision makers. Women worldwide frequently organize themselves for advocacy purposes, drawing on their collective power to affect legislation, official policies and governmental programs. Lobbying, however, refers to influencing the government and its leaders. Development attempt to sway policy makers and legislators to address specific issues, often by introducing or revising legislation and policy. Development activities may include private meetings with decision makers, public campaigns and demonstrations.
One of the most exciting features of Bangladesh’s “Monsoon Revolution” were the visuals of courageous young girls and women on the streets, their defiant chants animating fierce feminist organizing and the individual and collective acts of rebellion of women against a p
Centre for Gender And Politics (CGAP) is a volunteer led think tank based in India that contributes to a high-quality scholarship on the intersection of gender, politics and South Asia.
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has declared that democracy cannot be considered complete when women are excluded from policy-making processes.
The passage of the
If I’m asked to rank the centuries based on the importance and impact of constitutional amendments, I’d be hard pressed to choose between the 18th and the 19th. The Bill of Rights, passed at the tail end of the 18th century, is certainly special.
For Theonila Roka Matbob, the pain in her distant past is deeply etched in her mind.
She grew up in the shadow of the controversial Bougainville mine, and her father, John Roka, was killed during the Bougainville conflict.
The Deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Mrs Lara Edeko has urged women to participate in politics in order to contribute towards good leadership and nation building.
