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Here’s how Farm Radio broadcasting partners participated in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign

For 30 years, civil society organizations around the world have spoken up together against gender-based violence in a campaign spanning 16 days from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25) to Human Rights Day (Dec. 10). Each year, many radio stations join this campaign by broadcasting spots, interviews, and other segments featuring local actors and ministry spokespeople, all sharing key messages about and against gender-based violence. 

This year, Farm Radio International invited our 1,300 radio partners to join the campaign, encouraging them to interview local organizations who actively work against gender-based violence, or to use Farm Radio resources to develop their own programming. 

In November, we published a series of 16 spots for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence [1]. We also shared a theme pack of existing resources on the topic [2], including backgrounders on the rights of rural women, interview scripts on domestic violence, sexual consent, female genital mutilation, and other topics. We also shared a drama script on sexual consent. All of these resources make it easy for radio broadcasters to prepare for interviews, or record drama segments or radio spots. 

Several radio partners reached out to tell us how they participated in the international campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. Their participation demonstrates the wide variety of topics and formats that can be used to address this important—and sensitive—issue. 

Emmanuel Nana Noaga, from Radio Cinporogo in Mali, shared two broadcast segments. On Saturday, Nov. 26, at the beginning of the 16 Days, the station broadcast vox pops on gender-based violence, sharing views from their community. And the following week, during their women’s program, the station shared an interview on marital violence that was part of its women’s program and which features a female presenter. 

Adama Tessougue of Radio Sikidolo in Mali also shared an interview segment broadcast as part of the campaign. The station tackled a very sensitive issue: female genital mutilation. The interview featured a preacher and a pastor at a community health centre.

Radio Amani FM in Malinde, Democratic Republic of Congo, also participated in the campaign. Amani FM joined an event in the Muhangano market in Mulongwe, near a refugee camp in eastern DRC. UNHCR and AIDES organized a community activity to mark the first day of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, and Radio Amani was there. The station recorded a program with women leaders, social workers, and the committee for sexualized and gender-based violence to learn more about their work with Burundian refugees. 

Radio Islamique Ahmadiyya de Leo in Sissili, Burkina Faso, planned an entire slate of radio spots broadcast between Nov. 25 and Dec. 16 that addressed 16 different topics in French and Mooré using FRI’s radio spots [1] as their main source of content. Each day, the station broadcast radio spots #1 and #2 on breaking the silence and where to go for help, with the other spots—on femicide, services for survivors, the different forms of gender-based violence, forced marriage, and other topics—broadcast on other days. These radio spots were on air three to five times each day, reaching many listeners. 

Mamoudou Ousseni Barry from Radio Ciwara, Kadiolo, Mali, shared that, on Dec. 5, the station broadcast an interview with a survivor of gender-based violence, then re-broadcast the story on Dec. 9, the same day that they broadcast an interview with an association working to end gender-based violence (re-broadcasting that interview on Dec. 12).

Congratulations to all participating stations! We hope that even more radio partners participate in this international campaign next year, making good use of our radio spots [1] as well as our newest suggested interview questions for interviews on sexual and reproductive health with experts [3] and with men and women [4]. Find these resources and more at scripts.farmradio.fm [5].

Radio stations can continue to let us know how they participated in the 16 Days of Activism campaign by emailing us at radio@farmradio.org. 

This campaign was supported by the “HÉRÈ – Women’s Well-Being in Mali” initiative, which is funded by Global Affairs Canada, and aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and well-being of women and girls as well as strengthen the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, and the district of Bamako in Mali.

Photo: Feruza Sulemana walks towards her maize field in the community of Zosali, Nothern Region in Ghana. She listens to the CFTC programming on Might FM.