ACT

The Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action (ACT) programme has been developed in partnership with the European Union, UN Women and the UN Trust Fund to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. The programme focuses on action at the global, regional, and sub-regional level, with a focus on Africa and Latin America.  Its overall objective is to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls under two outcomes through:
Outcome 1:  Strengthened coalition building, networking, leadership, and resilience of global and regional feminist women’s rights movements and 
Outcome 2:  Increased and enhanced advocacy, campaigning, policymaking on ending violence against women and girls through multistakeholder partnerships and coalitions. 

In 2024, the UN Trust Fund launched a Call for Proposals process to identify women’s rights organizations and/or civil society organizations wishing to implement sub-regional or regional initiatives aimed at strengthening emerging networks, coalitions and/or movements focusing on ending violence against women and girls in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

As a result, the UN Trust Fund also awarded USD 2.34 million to eight groundbreaking sub-regional, regional and cross-regional initiatives in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. These initiatives will amplify networks and drive feminist movements dedicated to ending violence against women and girls, creating lasting change where it matters most.

Check out our two-pager to find out more about the UN Trust Fund’s ‘ACT portfolio’.

 

Latin America 

Corporación Humanas 

Initiative Title: Strengthening Feminist Networks to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls 

In Latin America, women face persistent and alarming levels of violence despite existing legal frameworks across seven countries. The region experiences consistently high femicide rates, with countries like Mexico reporting up to 1.5 femicides per 100,000 women. These women encounter multiple forms of violence—including domestic, sexual, economic, and political—exacerbated by complex global phenomena such as massive migration, climate crisis, religious fundamentalism, and social polarization.  

The Regional Feminist Articulation (ARF) is a feminist network dedicated to supporting women's rights across Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. With a focus on empowerment and systemic change, the organization aims to provide crucial services tailored to the needs of 800 women in their diversity. This initiative seeks to empower women to confront and overcome violence in their families and communities, ensuring their needs are recognized by state institutions and facilitating their social and political integration. 

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Conducting comprehensive research on violence against women in each country; (2) Building and strengthening alliances between feminist organizations; (3) Exchanging experiences and identifying common regional patterns; (4) Creating spaces for dialogue with state mechanisms responsible for women's advancement; (5) Developing communication strategies to challenge social narratives supporting violence; (6) Organizing national forums on prevention, support, and judicial responses to violence; (7) Producing detailed country and regional reports on violence against women; and (8) Advocating for the implementation of international commitments like the Belem do Pará Convention. Throughout the project, PBK/L will be continuously documented to inform movement-building, including through monitoring of project activities and documenting internal reflections at national and regional level, on the basis of which a regional EVAW Work Plan will be developed. 

Mexico and Central America 

Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migracion 

Initiative Title: Protecting Migrant Women and Girls from Violence in Mobility   

In Mexico and Central America, migrant women face extreme vulnerabilities, with over 140,000 asylum requests in Mexico in 2023, 42% from women fleeing violence. Migrant women encounter significant risks of violence, exploitation, and trafficking due to organized crime, public insecurity, lack of legal protection, and gender discrimination. 

The Mesoamerican Women's Migration and Health Network (RMMSyM) has been at the forefront of advocating for migrant women's rights, providing critical support services across Mexico and Central America. Their network empowers local communities and enhances accessibility to vital resources, demonstrating a commitment to combating violence against women in mobility. This initiative aims to strengthen organizational capacities, increase service accessibility for over 220 migrant women and girls, develop regular migration pathways, and foster a supportive network for sharing best practices. Ultimately, it seeks to create a safer environment for migrant women and girls, ensuring they can seek help without barriers. 

The initiative employs key strategies, including: (1) Building collaborative capacities among network organizations; (2) Documenting violence patterns through field research; (3) Providing direct legal and psychological support to migrant women; (4) Developing an impactful communications strategy to raise awareness; (5) Establishing partnerships with government institutions; (6) Creating a pilot program for humanitarian visas to reduce migration risks. During the project, practice-based knowledge/learning will be continuously documented to inform movement-building, including through generating knowledge on good practices to address violence against migrant women and girls and learning about project effectiveness summarized in a final learning paper.  

Cameroon and Central African Republic 

Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme 

Initiative Title: Strengthening Women's Rights and Feminist Movements to End Violence Against Women and Girls  

In Cameroon and the Central African Republic, gender-based violence is a critical issue, with 65% of women and girls experiencing multiple forms of violence. Approximately 130 feminicide cases were recorded between 2019 and 2022 in Cameroon, and the Central African Republic ranks third globally in feminicide rates. 

Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme has been at the forefront of advocating for women's rights and providing critical support services. Their initiative aims to strengthen women's rights movements across Central Africa by uniting 40 organizations in a regional coalition, focusing on eliminating feminicides, sexual violence, and harassment in both private and public spheres, including emerging cyber-violence. 

The initiative employs key strategies, including: (1) Creating sustainable networks of women's rights organizations; (2) Building technical and institutional capacity through training in monitoring, documentation, and advocacy; (3) Producing evidence-based research and monitoring reports; (4) Conducting coordinated advocacy at national and regional levels; and (5) Running digital awareness campaigns.  

Ultimately, this initiative seeks to create a safer environment for marginalized women and girls, including those with disabilities, internally displaced women, and survivors of violence. Through strengthened regional collaboration between Cameroon and the Central African Republic, the project aims to transform patriarchal systems and structures by engaging decision-makers, developing enhanced policies, and building coordinated responses to gender-based violence. 

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia 

Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ) and GENFAMI 

Initiative Title: Strengthening Women-Led Organizations to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America  

In the Republic of the Congo and Colombia, women and girls face high rates of violence, particularly in crisis contexts where institutional responses remain limited. Women-led organizations serve as crucial frontline defenders against gender-based violence, yet their impact is constrained by insufficient resources and coordination gaps, while their organizational potential remains not fully realized. 

The initiative, led by DFJ and GENFAMI, will strengthen a trans-regional feminist movement connecting Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Building on successful "Voices and Leadership" and "Call to Action" programmes, the project will enhance the collective power of 40 women's organizations through an innovative capacity-building model to amplify collective power, transform patriarchal norms, and enhance organizational resilience. The approach focuses on three pillars: knowledge power, network power, and narrative power. 

Key strategies include: (1) Creating a flexible and replicable training model to strengthen technical and organizational capacities; (2) Creating an inclusive knowledge-sharing platform for documenting and exchanging best practices ; (3) Building a sustainable trans-regional network for collaborative advocacy and support ; (4) Enhancing the narrative power of women-led organizations to influence social norms and policies; (5) Leveraging digital tools for inclusive and multilingual engagement. 

By fostering stronger feminist movements and enhancing organizational resilience, the initiative aims to advance more effective, coordinated responses to gender-based violence while amplifying women's collective voice in decision-making spaces. 

Nigeria and Kenya 

Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) 

Initiative Title: Strengthening Feminist Movements to Combat Emerging Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa  

In Nigeria and Kenya, women and girls face high levels of violence, including new and emerging forms of violence against women and girls (VAW/G). Marginalized groups, including young women, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, are at particular risk due to intersecting layers of discrimination. Additionally, the digital space is increasingly becoming a platform for technology-facilitated violence, exacerbating these risks. Despite these challenges, feminist movements in the region have a proven capacity for advocacy and empowerment, though gaps in intergenerational collaboration, digital security awareness, and inclusivity persist. 

The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) is spearheading an initiative to address these issues by enhancing the resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability of feminist movements with 1500 women and girls. The initiative focuses on building collective power, empowering marginalized groups, and fostering intergenerational collaboration. The goal is to strengthen feminist networks to effectively combat all forms of VAW/G with a particular focus on tech-facilitated violence while advocating for legislative reforms and policy changes. 

The initiative employs key strategies, including: (1) Advocacy campaigns targeting policymakers to advance comprehensive legal protections; (2) Intergenerational dialogue forums to bridge knowledge gaps between older and younger feminists; (3) Digital security training to enhance online safety for women and girls; (4) Capacity-building programs tailored for marginalized communities, promoting inclusivity within feminist movements; (5) Community-wide awareness campaigns to shift norms and mobilize support against VAW/G; (6) Conducting exploratory research on the effects of tech-facilitated violence on adolescent girls. 

Eastern Africa 

International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) 

Initiative Title: Ending New and Evolving Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls Living with HIV in Eastern Africa 

In Eastern Africa, women and girls living with HIV face increasing violence and discrimination, including forced disclosure of HIV status, denial of essential treatments like antiretroviral therapy (ART), and coerced medical procedures. These forms of violence are exacerbated by entrenched gender norms, systemic stigmatization, and inadequate legal protections. Despite these challenges, there are limited programs focused on this specific intersection of gender-based violence and HIV, which leaves women at risk from violence and prevents them from accessing vital services. 

The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) is a regional women’s rights organization committed to advocating for the rights of women living with HIV. This initiative is designed to support women and girls living with HIV in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, by addressing the new and evolving forms of violence they face. The initiative’s goal is to o strengthen the collective power, resilience, and impact of the regional movement of Women living with HIV to end violence against women living with HIV in Eastern Africa.  

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Conducting research on the new and evolving forms of violence against women and girls living with HIV; (2) Strengthening the capacity of regional women’s networks to advocate for women’s rights; (3) Engaging policymakers to raise awareness and implement changes to laws affecting women living with HIV; (5) Empowering young women advocates through leadership development; (6) facilitating cross-regional learning exchanges and opportunities to strategize collectively. 

Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda 

Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) 

Initiative Title: Empowering Women and Girls with Disabilities to Lead in the Fight Against Violence  

In Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda, women and girls with disabilities face profound challenges due to the intersection of gender and disability, which often leaves them excluded from both leadership roles and policy discussions on violence against women and girls (VAWG). These women experience higher rates of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and are frequently denied access to essential services and opportunities for advocacy. As a result, they remain largely invisible in efforts to combat gender-based violence. 

The Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) is a women’s rights organization committed to the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities. With a focus on leadership and advocacy, the organization aims to support over 120 women and girls across Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda, enabling them to take on active roles in addressing VAWG. This initiative seeks to increase the participation of women and girls with disabilities in feminist and women’s rights movements, advocate for their rights, and ensure their needs are included in legal and policy frameworks. 

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Organizing leadership and capacity-building workshops focused on EVAWG; (2) Facilitating mentorship programs to strengthen advocacy skills; (3) Establishing regional networks for knowledge-sharing and collective action; (4) Conducting research on the intersectionality of disability and VAWG; (5) Advocating for policy change to ensure the inclusion of women with disabilities in national and international VAWG discussions. 

Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia 

Raising Voices 

Initiative Title: Learning from Practice: Strengthening a VAW Prevention Movement within the GBV Prevention Network 

Across Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia, violence against women and girls remains a pervasive human rights violation. 

Raising Voices is a women’s rights organization dedicated to transforming unequal power relationships and ending violence against women (VAW) and children through technical support, awareness-raising and concerted action. This initiative aims to strengthen the collective power and movement building efforts led by the Gender-Based Violence Prevention Network established across 20 African countries, by creating supportive, shared and safe spaces for feminist activists, developing regional solidarity, emphasizing self and collective care, and producing practice-based knowledge. 

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Organizing sessions across five countries to foster exchange experiences on VAW and build a collective prevention agenda; (2) Fostering partnerships with key and under-resourced feminist organizations to develop collective advocacy actions and campaigns with a specific focus on self and collective care; (3) Producing accessible practice-based learning products with key insights on feminist movement building to prevent VAW.