Watch video of the first Through Our Eyes training workshop

Through Our Eyes

During times of war and armed conflict, traditional community support systems fall away. People become extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, especially women and children.

ARC has partnered with Communication for Change to create the Through Our Eyes Participatory Communications Project. The goal of Through Our Eyes is to break through the secrecy that surrounds gender-based violence in post-conflict settings and empower local communities to raise awareness and promote change.

Participants are working together to create videos and audio tapes that will be used as teaching tools in their own communities, and as advocacy tools in the world community to raise awareness about gender-based violence.

Why this initiative needs to happen now

• Rape is commonly used as a weapon of war.
• Women and children are coerced into sex in exchange for food.
• The stress of living in a refugee setting intensifies domestic violence.

ARC has seen the impact that gender-based violence can have on women, children, and whole communities. The consequences are physical and psychological. The effects are devastating and long-lasting.  Providing services to survivors of gender-based violence can be as critical and life-saving as providing food and water.

The Basics

This project will provide participants with a safe environment to share experiences, develop new ideas, and address gender-based violence in their communities from their own perspectives.

Participatory communication is a proven and powerful tool to empower disenfranchised and underrepresented groups. Participants will represent their views, identify common concerns, and seek solutions from within. Survivors can move beyond hopelessness by working to educate and create lasting change.

Read a recent article about Through Our Eyes from the Forced Migration Review.