The Power of Storytelling: Reflections on My Work in GBV Prevention & Response
By Emmanuel Ssegawa, WI-HER Technical Advisor & Uganda Country Representative
In a program I once worked with, gender and youth analyses revealed gender-based violence (GBV) was very common, especially against women and girls. We turned analysis results into stories and used them as conversation starters during community dialogues. This was intended to help community members understand GBV and its effects without blaming anyone for it but bringing everyone on board to stop it. The stories helped share what society considered normal, and how even the perpetrators, mainly men, thought that what they were doing was acceptable.
What we experienced in dialogues was amazing! Participants came out to say that the stories were very similar to something they had witnessed or heard in a certain community or in their own families. They shared their own stories and the discussions that followed were life-changing. Participants suggested practical actions to stop the GBV portrayed in the stories and also existed in their communities.
This reflection is part of WI-HER’s 2023 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign. UN Women created the 16 Days campaign to bring awareness to issues related to responding to, preventing, addressing, and ending GBV.