Stop the violence by educating girls and young women about their rights to live free from violence and to have the skills and confidence to claim them.

Why we care: It is estimated that up to six out of 10 girls and women will experience violence and/or sexual abuse in their lifetimes. This must stop.

How we’re solving it: By training 30 participants on facilitating the “Voices Against Violence” non-formal education program so they can help support girls, young women, boys and young men to identify violence, understand their rights, and end violence against girls.  

Girls in every country across the world are subjected to violence—in its many forms. 150 million girls under 18 have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence involving physical contact. Two million girls—ages five to 15 years old—are introduced into the commercial sex market each year. And, 60 million girls are sexually assaulted at or on their way to school each year.

WAGGGS is committed to ending violence against girls and young women and has been working to break the culture of silence on violence. WAGGGS—in collaboration with UN Women—has develop the “Voices against Violence,” non-formal education program to help girls and young women to understand and assert their rights and become powerful forces for transformation. At the heart of the program, girls and young women challenge gender stereotypes, reach out to boys and young men and address the root causes of violence.

The training program is a critical part of the “Stop the Violence” advocacy campaign that is mobilizing 10 million girls and young women and 1.5 million volunteers around the world to end violence against girls. It is delivered through a network of peer educators and youth leaders who have been trained on how to use the program and create safe spaces where girls, boys, young women, and young men can learn to stop the violence.

This project will help WAGGGS raise funds to host a train-the-trainer event in Pune, India, from December 7 to December 14. Specifically, funds raised through this project will help WAGGGS offer scholarships to five participants so they may review the curriculum, build capacity on gender-based violence, develop implementation plans, learn about safety and ethical requirements with offering the training, and be able to return to their communities and train more trainers. After the course they will train other people in their own countries and ensure the impact of the training is multiplied at country level.

Each scholarship covers travel, lodging, food, and community activity costs.