Amnesty International VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Amnesty InternationalVIOLENCEAGAINSTWOMENHuman Rights Education Activities for use in teachingPersonal Social and Health Education, Citizenship andEnglish for ages 11-18Human rights educationresourcewomen’s rights section 2The activities in this section are:Facts about violence against womenAges: 11 4Is this OK?Ages: 11 7Activity 3Domestic violenceAges: 11 8Activity 4Problem, what problem?Ages: 15 11Activity 5RapeAges: 15 13Activity 6Campaigns to stop gender violenceAges: 15 16Activity 1Activity 2One important issue, not covered by any specific activity in this section, but referredto in the text, is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). You can find information on thissubject on these /fgm.htmwww.amnesty.org.uk/education
‘Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful humanrights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knowsno boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as itcontinues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towardsequality, development and peace.’Kofi Annan, UN Secretary GeneralAll human rights issues affect women.However, women also suffer specific denialof their human rights because of theirgender. The experience or threat of violenceaffects the lives of millions of womeneverywhere, cutting across boundaries ofage, wealth, race, religion, sexual identityand culture. Domestic violence affects onein four women in the UK. The targetingof women in conflict and post-conflictsituations is part of the ‘culture of war’ andviolence against women is used as a militarytactic.Despite its pervasiveness this violence is not‘natural’ or ‘inevitable’. It is an expression ofhistorical and cultural values and patriarchalstructures – women across all societiesexperience role stereotyping, discriminationand violence. Under international law, statesmust ensure the protection of human rightsof all people, without discrimination. Butalthough progress has been made, thereis still a long way to go to bring about theeradication of violence against women in theUK and across the world.Education plays a vital role in challengingthe underlying stereotyping anddiscrimination, which fuels violence againstwomen. This booklet is packed full of ideasfor interesting lessons with backgroundinformation to help students explorethe issues. Undertaking the activities inthis pack will also help you to fulfil therequirements of UK curricula, particularlyin English, Citizenship and Personal, Socialand Health Education.2 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENThe activities in this resource comprisesthe second in a series of three sets ofactivities on women and human rights thataim to help students to think about violenceagainst women as a human rights issue, andto explore its causes and consequences:Set 1. Global Gender Inequalityexamines underlying factors such asgender stereotyping, global inequality anddiscrimination.Set 2. Violence Against Womendemonstrates the widespread existence ofviolence against women, defines the formsof violence against women and shows whatmust be done to prevent it.Set 3. Claiming Women’s Rightsanalyses progress towards women’s rightsand celebrates human rights defenders.Each set of materials presents classroomactivities with clear curriculum links and anindication of age suitability. Some activitiesare accompanied by an information sheet oran activity sheet for students to fill in. Thesemay be photocopied and handed out toindividual students or working groups.In using the activities, you will need to bearin mind that some of your students mayhave witnessed or experienced violenceagainst women, or other violations of humanrights. Many organisations provide help andsupport in this situation. The BBC websiteprovides a comprehensive list at:www.bbc.co.uk/health/hh/links.shtml.Amnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumTEACHER NOTESINTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS
Two of the national helplines are:Women’s Aid24 Hour Freephone National DomesticViolence helplines:England: 0808 2000 247www.womensaid.org.ukNorthern Ireland: 0800 917 1414www.niwaf.orgScotland: 0800 027 1234www.scottishwomensaid.org.ukWales: 0808 8010 800www.welshwomensaids.orgContinuedThe Stop Violence AgainstWomen campaignAmnesty International’s global campaign toStop Violence against Women was launchedon International Women’s Day in March 2004.The campaign focuses on identifyingand exposing acts of violence in thehome, and in conflict and post-conflictsituations globally. It calls on governments,communities and individuals to take actionto prevent such acts and provide redress.ChildLine Free24 hour helpline: 0800 1111www.childline.org.ukThis series of materials was produced aspart of Amnesty International UK’s StopViolence Against Women campaign. Someof the activities are edited and updated fromFreedom: Human Rights Education Pack byCaroline Adams, Marietta Harrow and DanJones (2001), Chapter 3, pp 81-105.3 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENAmnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumTEACHER NOTESINTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS
FACTS ABOUT VIOLENCEAGAINST WOMENAge group: 13 upwards.Timing: Definition, On the line, Discussion - One lesson.Further activities - One lesson or homeworkDefinitionsAsk groups to define ‘violence againstwomen’ in their own words. Discuss theiranswers.On the lineMake a long line (8m) across the classroomor hall with a length of string, or drawn withchalk. At one end of the line place a cardbearing the words ‘STRONGLY AGREE’.In the middle place a card bearing thewords ‘DON’T KNOW’. At the other endplace a card bearing the words ‘STRONGLYDISAGREE’. Prepare a set of controversialstatements about gender and violenceagainst women and girls for the class todiscuss. Use the Agree or disagree?statements below or make your own set.Present each statement on a large card,or projected as an overhead transparencyor read out. Ask pupils to take a positionon the line according to the extent to whichthey ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with the statement.Invite a few individuals from different placesalong the line to justify their position.If any pupils are persuaded by someone’scomments invite them to change theirposition. Proceed to the next questionAgree or disagree? Violence against women is really not aproblem in the UK. Women enjoy equalrights here, don’t they? Girls are less valued than boys in allsocieties. Men are naturally more physicallyaggressive than women. Girls who flirt or get drunk are ‘asking for it’. In China and India there are equalnumbers of boy babies and girl babies. In Europe more women aged from 16to 44 die (or are severely disabled) fromheart attacks, cancer or from trafficaccidents than from domestic violence.4 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Men prefer submissive women. Men who are violent towards women areemotionally immature. Few women and girls in this country haveexperienced severe beating, rape or sexualabuse.DiscussionGive out the fact sheets Defining violenceagainst women and Global violence againstwomen Ask whether there are questions aboutthe meaning of anything in the factsheets. What did students find most surprisingor shocking in the fact sheets? Can they think of other examples ofviolence against women? Have they changed their minds nowabout their position on any of thestatements on the line?Further activitiesInvite students to think of slogans anddesign posters or adverts for a ‘Stop theViolence!’ campaign.Pairs or small groups could choose adifferent challenging fact from the Globalviolence against women statistics tohighlight, or could imagine what a worldwithout violence against women and girlswould be like.CURRICULUM LINKSAges: 11 and up. Subjects: English, Citizenship,PSHE/PSE/PSD, ArtAmnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumTEACHER NOTESACTIVITY 1
Facts about violence against womenINFORMATION SHEETDefining violence against womenWhat is violence againstwomen?Violence against women can be defined as:Any act of violence that leads to physical,sexual or psychological harm or suffering towomen, or the threat of such acts, includingthe use of force and the arbitrary deprivationof liberty, in public or private situations.Violence against women includes:Violence in the family such as: Battering by male partners The sexual abuse of girls in a householdViolence related to dowry (propertybrought by a woman when she marries) Forced marriage Rape within marriage ‘Honour crimes’ (punishing women forbehaviour that is perceived as damagingthe family’s reputation) Female genital mutilation (FGM), (atraditional practice in some countrieswhere part of a girl’s genitals are cut) The abuse of women because they arelesbian or transgender (eg rape and‘psychiatric treatments’ to try to ‘change’their sexuality)Violence against women at work and inthe community including: Rape Sexual assault, abuse and bullying The abuse of domestic workers –including: physical abuse, sexual assault,forced labour and slavery-like conditions Trafficking and forced prostitution The abuse of lesbians ‘Honour crimes’Violence carried out by the state or itsagents (police, prison guards, soldiers,border guards, immigration officials and soon) including Forced sterilisation Forced abortion Forcible psychiatric treatment to try to‘cure’ lesbian women Torture, including rape and sexual abuse5 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENViolence against women in war including Rape Kidnapping Trafficking Torture Murder Enforced pregnancy Forced abortion (In war violencethe military may deliberately targetwomen and girls to create terror and todominate communities.)Does violence against women and girlsoccur in only some countries, or affectonly certain groups of women?No region, country or culture in the worldis free from violence against women. It canaffect women of every race, age, culture, faith,nationality, profession and financial situation.What are the causes of violence againstwomen? These include: Unequal power relations between menand women Attempts to control women’s sexuality Cultural traditions The idea that what happens in the homeis ‘private’ Military policy during conflict Lack of action by governmentsDiscrimination and inequality are at theroot of violence against women.Historically women have been seen as lessimportant than men; lower than them; of lessvalue than men politically, socially, economicallyand culturally. In the past both law and custommade women the property of men.Wherever social attitudes devalue women,violence against women is more likely tobe tolerated or less likely to be punished.Arguments to justify violent methods to‘keep women in their place’ and to assertmale dominance may call upon ‘religiousprinciples’, or ‘cultural traditions’.Until recently, domestic violence in the UKwas seen as a ‘private matter’ outside thepower of the law to intervene. Indeed it wasonly after years of campaigning by women’sgroups and human rights organisations thatdomestic violence was criminalised andtaken seriously.Amnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumSTUDENT INFORMATION SHEETACTIVITY 1
Facts about violence against womenINFORMATION SHEETGlobal violence against womenAcross the world over 60 million girl babiesare ‘missing’ – killed, aborted for being agirl, or deliberately under-nourished andneglected.1Each year, 2 million girls aged 5 to 15 aretrafficked (sold or coerced into prostitution).2More than a third of the world’s women andgirls have been beaten, raped or sexuallyabused during their lifetimes.1About 130 million girls and women worldwidehave suffered female genital mutilation (FGM).Another two million girls are subjected to thisevery year.3 FGM is a traditional practice insome countries and involves cutting part of agirl’s genitals.In Europe domestic violence is the biggestcause of death and disability for womenbetween the ages of 16 and 44. A quarterof European women experience domesticviolence in their lifetimes. Every year 6-10 percent of the women in Europe suffer domesticviolence.4Surveys around the world suggest that 40-70per cent of female murder victims were killedby their husbands, boyfriends or ex-partners.The crime always came after a history ofabuse.5In the USA one woman is battered every 15seconds, usually by her partner.6In Pakistan over 1,000 women a year aremurdered in the name of ‘honour’.7During the genocide of Tutsis and others inRwanda from April 1994 to April 1995, over250,000 women and girls were also raped.8In the conflict in Bosnia between 1992 and1995 over 40,000 women are estimated tohave been victims of war-rape.9In India, around 15,000 women a year aremurdered in ‘dowry deaths’ at the handsof husbands or in-laws, dissatisfied withthe marriage settlement. These crimes are6 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENoften disguised as ‘kitchen fires’ – the victimis doused in kerosene and set alight. InBangladesh, acid attacks on women becauseof dowry disputes are frequent, often leadingto blindness, disfigurement, and death.2In 2006/7 65 per cent of female murdervictims were killed by their partner, ex-partneror lover. In comparision 11 per cent of malemurder victims were killed by their partner,ex-partner or lover.10In Northern Ireland, one woman a day isseriously assaulted by her male partner.In Scotland one woman in five will experiencedomestic abuse during her lifetime.In 2006/7 there were 407,000 incidents ofdomestic violence in England and Wales. 77per cent of the victims were women11In 2006/7 there were 48,801 incidents ofdomestic abuse in Scotland, a 7 per centincrease from the previous year. 87 per centof the victims were female.12In 2007/8 in Northern Ireland, the policerecorded 23,076 incidents of domestic abuse,9,203 of these were classified as crimes. 60per cent of the victims were women.13Marital rape is now recognised as a crime injust over 50 countries.In 2006 60 states had specific laws againstdomestic violence an increase from 45 in2003.141 UN Study on The Status of Women, 20002 UNIFEM, 20053 International Stop FGM Campaign, 20054 Council of Europe, 20025 World Health Organisation, 20026 US Department of Statistics 20027 UN Human Rights Report, 20028 Human Rights Watch 19959 New Internationalist Jan/Feb 199810 Home Office, 200811 British Crime Survey, 200712 Scottish Executive, 200713 PSNI, 200814 UNIFEM 2006Amnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumSTUDENT INFORMATION SHEETACTIVITY 1
IS THIS OK?Age group: 11 upwards.Timing: Survey and Opinion poll - Two lessons.Research into images and messages - One lesson.Further activities - HomeworkThis activity could be linked to Activities 1 and 3 in Section 1 of this series of lesson plans onwomen’s rights. You can download these activities from www.amnesty.org.uk/education.Ask students to research and feedback ondifferent types of violence against women using the website: www.amnesty.org.uk/svaw/Read the following passage with the class:In 1998 the Zero Tolerance Trust conducteda major research study into young people’sattitudes to violence, sex and relationships.Over 2,000 young people aged 14-21 fromScotland (Glasgow and Fife) and England(Manchester) were asked their opinions. Half the boys and a third of the girls inthe study said that it was acceptablefor a woman to be hit in certaincircumstances (eg if she nagged). Both boys and girls considered forcedsex to be more acceptable than hitting awoman. More than half of those interviewedthought that women provoked maleviolence in a number of ways (eg by theway they dress, by flirting). Over half of those questioned knewsomeone who had been hit by theirmale partner. Exactly half the sample knew some-onewho had been sexually assaulted.in the survey about what they considered tobe OK. Results could be reported back, andcompared with the results in Glasgow. Fifeand Manchester.Research into images andmessagesGroups investigate how men and womenare portrayed to the public through themedia, how they behave and how theyrelate to each other.Different groups research:5 fairy tales 5 TV soap story lines5 song lyrics eg country and western,gangsta rap, rock etc5 films on current release5 newspaper reports on celebritiesGroups report their findings back to theclass and explain how people of differentgenders were being portrayed in their areaof investigation. How were men and womenshown to be relating to each other? Werethese images realistic? Students discuss theevidence and draw their conclusions.Further activitiesAsk: What do students think about thesefindings? Where do they think young peoplelearned these attitudes? What steps would be needed to changesuch attitudes?Students search for a song, a story, a novelor a film that features a woman survivingdomestic violence.Opinion pollBookStudents could carry out their own (smallscale) survey among a sample of youngpeople of their age, perhaps in another classin their school, to check out attitudes toaspects of gender and violence. The surveyshould be strictly anonymous. It would asksimilar questions to those that are quotedClever Gretchen, Alison Lurie (ed)(for 11-14 yrs)7 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENUseful websitesSongs: http://creativefolk.com/affirm.htmlFairy tales: www.rosemarylake.com/#feministCURRICULUM LINKSAges: 11 and up. Subjects: English, Citizenship,PSHE/PSE/PSDAmnesty International Human Rights in the CurriculumTEACHER NOTESACTIVITY 2
DOMESTIC VIOLENCEAge group: 11 upwards.Timing: Definitions. Esther Morgan - One lesson.Further activities - Homework.Definitions Pupils, in groups, define the word ‘home’. They share ideas about what the word‘home’ means to them. What would their ideal of home be like?(Bear in mind that some pupils’ homesituations will be far from ideal.) Ask small groups to define the words‘domestic violence’. Ask them to list all the things they can thinkof that could be described as domesticviolence.Esther MorganRead the two poems by Esther Morgan withpupils.Discuss How her vivid picture of the situation andatmosphere is created. Are there words or phrases that areparticularly effective? Is it possible that the woman ‘talking’ inthe poem will ever be able to escape?The article by Sue Lees (page 10) can beused alongside the poems, to explore howcontrol and terror grow out of ordinary,everyday situations.Students can discuss why women mightfind it difficult to leave. Many personaltestimonies from survivors of domesticviolence, including children who have livedin such situations, can be found on the web.These highlight the horror of the situationand the difficulties of escaping, but alsooffer hope. For example: ‘Day by day I take a piece back of myselfand have grown stronger and happierthan ever in the process.’ ‘There is light at the end of the tunnel.You don’t have to live like this, there is analternative and I never regret the day I www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/Children living in situations of domesticviolence can be terrorised and traumatised.8 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENA website was launched in 2005 specificallyto support children and young peopleexperiencing or witnessing domestic violenceor concerned about such situations:www.thehideout.org.uk/Further activities Write your own poem, song or rap aboutstopping domestic violence. Research the history of women’s refugesin the UK. The following website will beuseful: www.refuge.org.uk/ Find out about UK legislation relatingto domestic violence and any initiativesin your area (eg by the police) to tackledomestic violence There are perpetrator programmesdesigned to help men who are violentto change their behaviour and developrespectful, non-abusive relationships.Find out about the methods andavailability of such .co.uk/relationships/domesticviolence/ pphh index.shtmlStudents could read and discuss AndreaAshworth’s memoir, Once in a House on Fire(1999, Picador). It tells the story of the lives ofAndrea, her two sisters and her mother in theirbattle with poverty and domestic vi
The Stop Violence Against Women campaign Amnesty International’s global campaign to Stop Violence against Women was launched on International Women’s Day in March 2004. the campaign focuses on identifying and exposing acts of violence in the home, and in conflict and post-conflict situations globally. It calls on governments,
3 was also happening in the broader human rights movement.2 Symbolic of this shift was Amnesty’s Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW) campaign (2004-2010). Amnesty’s four seasons of women’s rights work Amnesty’s engagement with women’s rights can be seen as four seasons, beginning
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Preventing men's violence against women Men's violence against women occurs across all levels of society, in all communities and across cultures. While not all men perpetrate violence against women, all men can - and ideally should - be part of ending men's violence against women. Women have been leading
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