 OBJECTIVES
Vision
A society free of gender-based violence where women and children enjoy their full human rights.
Mission
To eradicate gender-based violence in order to achieve a healthy, safe, secure, equal, responsible and supportive society for all women and girl children.
Masimanyane's work is centred around achieving the following objectives:
(i) To decrease the number of gender-based crimes committed against women and children including the trafficking of women and girls.
(ii) To ensure that women and children who experience gender-based violence, and those who are infected and affected by HIV/Aids, receive appropriate support services.
(iii) To increase levels of knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of gender-based violence, the gendered aspects of the HIV/Aids pandemic, women's and girls' sexual and reproductive health, as well as women's human rights.
(iv) To increase the realisation of gender equality through the promulgation and implementation of relevant laws and related policies.
(v) To ensure accountability at all levels of government and other political institutions.
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF WORK
Masimanyane's crisis-intervention and awareness-raising programmes mainly target communities within the Eastern Cape . However, its leadership and advocacy programmes benefit women on both a national and regional scale, and the organisation has a strong, and growing, national, regional and international profile.
Regional
Amanitare Pan African network on sexual and reproductive health and rights has extended Masimanyane's regional influence. The secretariat of Amanitare has been relocated to South Africa and will be hosted by Masimanyane. Masimanyane's director, Dr Lesley Ann Foster, was elected the first African president of the board of Amanitare, which operates in 48 African countries.
International
Masimanyane works extensively on the international stage, using national, regional and international instruments such as the SADC declaration, the African Union Protocol on Women and the CEDAW Convention.
The organisation has a strong partnership with various international organisations, institutions and bodies. An example of this is the relationship with the Norwegian Crisis Shelter Movement where numerous exchange programmes have taken place. The objectives of these exchanges were to share experiences of best practice and to expose staff to the global initiatives which link all of the work on gender-based violence.
Other significant partnerships exist with the Centre for Women's Global Leadership based at Rutgers University New York , Human Rights Watch New York , International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific and Amnesty International.
In addition, Masimanyane has been working in the Middle East assisting in the establishment of a gender-based violence project in Basra in Iraq. The organisation has shared its model and assisted in developing a model specific to the needs of the women of Iraq. The organisation has also made a significant contribution in Jordan , where Masimanyane trained a women's network called Karama (Dignity) in the development of an NGO Shadow Report.
This report was prepared by the Jordanian women and presented to the CEDAW committee on 2 August 2007, where it received a very favourable response.
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