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.
Eight weeks from Election Day, the heads of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee view the battle for the Senate through very different prisms -- though they share some of the same views on how the midterms are shaking out.
Till such time that the 33% representation in legislatures and the Parliament is not made mandatory, they will be happy to make all the right noises on women’s representation and leave it at that. All the canvassing and grass-root work by women’s organisations would have yielded little.
Wai Wai Nu is a diminutive 27-year-old with pro-democracy activism in her genes and a quarter of her young life spent behind bars.
The former political prisoner is now working to end the persecution faced by her people, the stateless Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar.
Photo-Al Jazeera
After years of activism, Amal Basha's demands for guarantees of greater representation for women in the political system has finally edged closer to reality.
Photo-UNWOMEN/Umatai Dauletova
Photo-I ama Huam Society
Reinforcing the political participation of women with disabilities is the goal of a new initiative launched by the "I am a Human Society", which advocates for the rights of people with disabilities.
Prepared and presented by Basma Soudani Belhadj (President and founder of League of Tunisian Women Voters LET) and Najla Abbes (board member and co-founder of LET): An overview of women's political participation after the 2011 revolution in Tunisia.
Prepared and presented by Basma Soudani Belhadj (President and founder of League of Tunisian Women Voters LET) and Najla Abbes (board member and co-founder of LET): An overview of women's political participation after the 2011 revolution in Tunisia.
Photo-Ikenna Ikeotuonye and the Howard University Student Association.
All too often, we measure our progress in the process of gender empowerment by counting the number of woman politicians in Parliament and Cabinet. There is also now a new dynamic in ANC politics with talk of the prospect of a woman leading the organisation and the country next.