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What's Being Done On . . . Using Advocacy to Achieve Democratic Reform?
Interview with Jacqueline Pitanguy of Cepia (Citizenship, Studies, Information, Action)-(Brazil) Jacqueline Pitanguy is the Director of Cepia , a NGO devoted to projects that promote human and citizenship rights in issues such as health, sexual and reproductive rights, violence, poverty, employment, and access to justice. Cepia also conducts advocacy work by monitoring and evaluating public policies. A. How was Cepia formed and what is its overall mission? A. Cepia was formed in 1990 during a period of democratization in Brazil, when NGOs emerged to introduce new agendas to the political scene. I had just resigned from a four-year cabinet position as President of the National Council for Women's Rights (CNDM). CNDM's work was very successful at improving women's rights in Brazil. I believed strongly that to strengthen the bridges between state and civil society, it was necessary to have strong and articulate civil society organizations capable of advocating for public policies. From the very start, Cepia's mission was to ensure and improve women's rights in Brazilian society. Using a gender perspective and a human rights framework, we work to improve issues related to violence, access to justice, health, and reproductive and sexual rights. Q. What are the most effective strategies and tactics used in your work to reform public policies? For instance, please describe the methodology in the police training and capacity building courses that Cepia conducts. A. Cepia makes efforts to engage in dialogue with sectors that we consider important actors in the field where we are working (other than women's NGOs). To work on gender violence, for example, it is necessary to map the field and understand the role played by various actors. This helps us develop strategies to begin dialogue with the actors, and, if necessary, to improve their ability to deal with gender violence. Therefore, Cepia works simultaneously in many areas, such as with the judiciary (public defenders, persecutors, judges), and by introducing a campaign on "women's rights as human rights. " We also try to sensitize judges by inviting them to seminars and conferences on violence against women. We have conducted police training on women's human rights for many years. Recently, we have included training on sexual and reproductive health to educate the police force on the rights of sexually abused women to their need to have access to emergency contraception, prophylactics against STDs and AIDS transmission, and abortion procedures. This helps police officers on the scene refer women to public hospitals. Q. What has been your greatest accomplishment in advocating for changes in policies or procedures that has had a direct effect? A. Cepia was one of the first NGOs to advocate for the establishment of centers to work with female victims of sexual abuse. We have been working since 1993 to build such centers and ensure that they are functioning properly. Today, they are a reality. One of our main accomplishments has been the creation of an intersection between the areas of violence and health by establishing bridges between the professionals in these sectors that do not usually communicate with each other. We have trained physicians, nurses, and health professionals working in emergency hospitals of Rio de Janeiro to give the initial care, such as immediately providing emergency contraception to female victims of sexual violence instead of referring them to maternal hospitals as they used to do. Today, Rio's big emergency public hospitals have trained staff and posted signs made by Cepia and the Municipal Department of Health, indicating what should be done in such cases. We have also been working on the other side of the issues by training the police. Since 1996, Cepia has also been coordinating a course for medical students during which the students debate issues such as human rights, gender equality, and race discrimination. We also hold yearly workshops called the "International Program of Women's Human Rights" to train men and women working in the fields of health and security. Q. What are some examples of the common challenges that advocacy groups face in promoting reform? A. There are many challenges. An important one is to maintain the groups' autonomy in terms of partisan politics and thus to maintain its legitimacy to address a large political spectrum. It is also important to be able to address the state independently and make a clear distinction between collaboration with a governmental organ and cooptation. It is also necessary to be able to negotiate and build alliances, understanding that to promote a reform requires different abilities and strengths and thus a collective ownership of the advocacy project. Q. What are the most effective strategies for overcoming these challenges and effectively implementing your work? A. It is important that an organization diversify its source of funding and not be too dependent on one specific donor. It is also important to be visible, vocal, and not afraid to defend positions on the issues that have to do with the NGO´s agenda. It is of course important to rely on solid information and to have a qualified staff in order to do so with sound arguments. And, most of all, it is important to listen, to interact, and to network with other actors to maximize one's strengths. About "What's Being Done On . . . " For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889. |
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