In March 2012, UAF received a request from ABAAD to fund a Violence Against Women (VAW) campaign in Lebanon in light of pending and potentially precedent setting legislation. The proposed awareness campaign is a timely contribution to the current debate regarding a draft domestic violence bill that is waiting to be passed in March by the Lebanese parliament. As a follow up action to a previous campaign that called for both women and men to ‘speak up’ against VAW the grant will help produce an animated video that will be nationally distributed in order to engage the general public in the discussion around VAW issues. ABAAD’s intervention specifically brings forth a new element in VAW advocacy because their message challenges mainstream patriarchal systems by portraying men in positive and active roles as actors in fighting VAW.
ABAAD seeks to promote women’s equality and participation through policy development, legal reform, gender mainstreaming, engaging men, eliminating discrimination, and advancing and empowering women to participate effectively and fully in their communities.
