Stellenbosch and Jönköping municipalities are focusing on strengthening their organisational capacities on working with the problem of gender-based violence in a municipal partnership project. Through peer exchange and learning between the municipalities they have raised organisational awareness of the problem. The two municipalities have also gained an increased understanding of the social norms that drive violence.
By collaborating with schools in the area, the municipalities are working on implementing a method for teachers called “Normstorm” into the school curriculum. The project is not only reaching results within the municipalities, but also within society where awareness of violence can lead to a society free from it.
For over a year, representatives from Jönköping municipality and Stellenbosch have met digitally to get to know each other and discuss the municipalities’ various challenges. Workshops have also been carried out in both Stellenbosch and Jönköping with representatives from the municipalities’ various administrations and operations. In Jönköping, it was about specific areas/places where people do not feel safe for various reasons. In Stellenbosch they started from the value “Women and men should have the same power to shape society as they do their own lives”. It was pointed out that the main challenges for South Africa are the electricity in the country, where power outages are common, which leads to people not feeling safe. Another part that was addressed was typical gender stereotypes, where women are to a greater extent responsible for the unpaid domestic work. Based on this, the common problem formulation for the project was “Unequal, unsafe and inaccessible public environments”. During a joint workshop, the project’s problem was reformulated to “safety in public environments”.
For more information on the partnership between Stellenbosch and Jönköping municipalities go to: https://icld.se/en/article/municipal-partnership-for-ending-gender-based-violence/