Advocacy and lobbying 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 lobbying 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. Lobbyists attempt to sway policy makers and legislators to address specific issues, often by introducing or revising legislation and policy. Lobbying activities may include private meetings with decision makers, public campaigns and demonstrations.
´One billion rising´, a global campaign for gender equality and justice was launched in the capital on Sunday amid a program attended by more than 50 noted women rights activists from south Asian nations, local civil society organizations, students, politicians, journalists and people from differ
The Hungarian parliament has changed course on a bill that introduces domestic violence to the Hungarian penal code.
Several NGOs staged a demonstration on Kossuth tér on Sunday to draw attention to violence against women and to speak up for women’s rights more generally.
A number of community organisations in Solomon Islands met with Government officials this week to try and advance their plans to have more women in Parliament.
The Forum 50%, promoting equal representation of women and men in influential positions, has launched a campaign in support of the introduction of quotas for women in politics, its representatives told reporters yesterday.
Women in the civil rights group "Let's Save Togo" said they will have a week long sex strike to demand the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe.
On a cold Monday morning in June, some 50 women from various political backgrounds gathered in this Argentine port city to talk about gender roles inside the home.
Tunisian women are rising up against a proposed article in the new constitution seen by many as an Islamist ploy to reverse the principle of gender equality that made Tunisia a beacon of modernity in the Arab world when it was introduced six decades ago.