OneWorld.net (U.S.)

COLOMBO, March 3: In the first ever effort in South Asia to raise the issue of Violence Against Women as many as 800 change makers from six South Asian nations will gather in Colombo on March 7, 8, and 9 to share their experiences on the efforts made in their countries towards ending such violence.

The Change Makers’ Assembly has been organised by the Sri Lanka National Alliance of the South Asia Regional Campaign to End Violence Against Women popularly known as WE CAN Campaign. Change Makers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will be attending the event.

The aim of the regional event, which will be held At Vihara Mahadevi Park, is to draw attention to the issue of Violence Against Women in the region and enable sharing and deliberation of effective strategies adopted by different stakeholders to meet the challenge. It also would use this opportunity to influence people, policy makers and enforcement agencies for implementation of rules and regulations relating to Violence Against Women with specific focus on Sri Lanka

The South Asia Campaign is made up of a coalition of more than 400 civil society groups, organisations and individuals, in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who have come together to take forward the regional campaign to end violence against women. By 2011, the campaign plans to reach and influence 50 million ordinary women and men across South Asia to oppose violence against women.

WE CAN Campaign was launched in 2004 and in Sri Lanka it was launched on 24 September 2004. Some 65 organisations are working with the We Can Campaign all across the island. The campaign has mobilised nearly 7,000 change makers so far and aims to have 200,000 in the six years. These change makers are women and men, coming from various backgrounds, who actively work in the society at the grass root level to make a change in their own lives and influence others.

The campaign was born out of the necessity to change the attitude and practices of the society towards violence against women. Studies reveal that in the South Asia region one in every two women face violence in their homes and 60 per cent women in Sri Lanka suffer domestic violence.

While in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh the focus of the campaign is on domestic violence, in Pakistan it focuses on Honour Killings. The We Can Campaign believes that Honour Killings discount a woman’s life and her ability to make her own decisions.