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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2001
New Web Resource with More than 5,000 Materials Introduced for
Professionals Working to End Violence against Women
BALTIMORE—A comprehensive new web site containing more than 5,000 items from over 400 organizations is now available for professionals working around the globe to end violence against woman. The new site was launched Monday—the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness month—and developed by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
The End Violence Against Women web site (www.endvaw.org) provides policymakers, researchers, health communication specialists and others with the latest information and materials from around the world that are related to violence against women. The site allows the user to access policy documentation, articles and publications on the latest research, training materials and curricula, and communication materials such as videos, brochures and posters.
"Our most recent data show that one out of three women in the world experience abuse in their lifetime," said Phyllis Tilson Piotrow, Professor and Director of JHU/CCP. "By making everything we know conveniently available to a global audience of professionals, we can help them design better programs, promote policies that empower women, and learn from others working in the field to stop the violence against women."
The new site allows visitors to link to hundreds of organizations around the world that are devoted to ending violence against women. More than 400 of these organizations contributed to the information and resources now available at www.endvaw.org.
"Knowledge is one of our most powerful weapons in this war," said Roxana Carillo, Human Rights Senior Advisor at UNIFEM. "This vast collection of information and resources arms those working to end violence with the tools they need to help abused women."
This new information resource was initiated last year when JHU/CCP decided to contact organizations working worldwide to end violence against women and develop a database of the organizations and their products. At the same time, UNIFEM had asked JHU's Population Information Program (JHU/PIP) to produce a catalog of media materials on the same subject. As a result of the combined efforts, both UNIFEM and JHU/CCP have collected more than 5000 materials and information about 500 organizations.
"USAID's programs help to provide women with options and opportunities, and empower women in ways that enhance the quality of life for families around the world," said Margaret Neuse, Director, G/PHN/POP, USAID Office of Population. "This collaboratively developed web site will be a valuable resource for the whole field."
JHU/CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication for behavior change and health promotion that has helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication. With representatives in more than 30 countries, JHU/CCP is a leader in the development of projects based on systematic needs assessments and clear strategies for positioning and presenting the benefits of health interventions to appropriate audiences.
For more information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org.
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