Kvinnoforums approach on:
Kvinnoforum's approach on Gender

“At the beginning, I asked myself if this really was necessary for Georgia ? But I have changed my mind. During the training, I have been a woman, a man, a child. I have even been a male doctor- having to act and think like one- and so I have started to think… Everything that we have learnt will be useful for me as a trainer, for my NGO and for Georgia .” A women participating in a gender training in Georgia arranged by Kvinnoforum.

This is what gender awareness is all about: to see, understand and use gender differences and to assume the responsibility of ensuring a process of change as regards gender inequalities.

The term gender refers to the economic, social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female. In most societies, being a man or a woman means not only having different biological characteristics, but facing different expectations about the appearance, qualities, behaviour and work appropriate to being male or female. Gender thus differs from sex in that it is social and cultural in nature rather than biological. Gender attributes and characteristics vary among societies and change over time. Gender further intersects with other forms of discrimination such as those based on age, class, race, caste and ethnicity.

Since it is women who are generally excluded or disadvantaged in relation to social and economic resources and decision-making, efforts to identify and redress imbalances have focused on women's situation and women's views. However, it is important to emphasise that the achievement of gender equality implies changes for both men and women. Gender equality hardly exist in any institutions or society, therefore all development programs and projects should have an integrated gender perspective. However, resistance to mainstreaming strategies takes many forms and it is important to understand this resistance and develop strategies to overcome it.

Kvinnoforum 2006


Kvinnoforum's approach on Empowerment

Kvinnoforum uses an empowerment perspective, method and goal in all it´s work.

Kvinnoforum defines empowerment as ”all those processes that increase women and men’s ownership of their lives, at individual, group and societal level”.

The concept springs from the Latin word ‘potere’, to be ‘potent’ and ‘to be able to.’ Empowerment as a concept came into use mainly through the Civil Rights movement, but is today used in many sectors – often with different meanings. An empowerment perspective focuses on people’s and groups’ abilities and resources. It takes place on an individual, group and societal level. Further, empowerment consists of three main mutually reinforcing components, which need to be addressed in order for empowerment to occur: Awareness of power structures, self esteem and agency and sense of agency.

A consequently used empowerment perspective

  • makes it possible for individuals, groups and societies to be agents in their own lives as well as society
  • brings with it an increase in self-esteem, belief in the own willingness and possibilities to affect the own life and also of society
  • brings with it processes that will change structures of power
  • can be a tool in the work towards a social sustainable development, starting in the needs and resources of all groups in society .

Kvinnoforum 2006


Kvinnoforum’s position in the international debate on prostitution and trafficking in human beings
  • Kvinnoforum endorses the UN definition of trafficking in human beings in accordance with the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Article 3, 2000
  • Kvinnoforum works against trafficking in human beings based on:
      • the principles of human rights,
      • an empowerment perspective,
      • a gender perspective,
      • a child perspective, and
      • a development perspective.
  • Kvinnoforum is and has been since 1988 against legalization of prostitution activities.
  • Kvinnoforum does not recognize prostitution as work.
  • Kvinnoforum talks about “women in prostitution” focusing thereby on the woman, who is capable of leaving her situation in prostitution (she is neither a prostitute nor a sex-worker).
  • Kvinnoforum continuously conducts overviews of research, activities and actors within the field.
  • Kvinnoforum develops activities both in the field of long term development and short term activities.
  • As regards different positions in the global debate on Trafficking and Prostitution, Kvinnoforum believes in dialogue as a key instrument for change.

Kvinnoforum 2006