+ What is Advocacy?

There is no single definition of advocacy, but a working definition could be: “Advocacy is a process of influencing selected people or institutions in order to achieve changes in policies, practices, behaviors or political beliefs that will benefit particular groups of people”.

• Advocacy is a process because it involves a series of inter-related steps that take you from the identification of an issue, to the satisfactory resolution of that issue. It is a process that can take time and patience but is usually well worth the effort.
• Advocacy is a process of influencing law-makers and representatives of public institutions and businesses who are in a position to resolve a particular issue.
• Advocacy’s goal is to bring about changes in law or mandatory guidelines, public behavior and political perspectives concerning your advocacy issue
• Advocacy benefits all people: the marginalized and the mainstream

+ Why Advocate?

• Advocate when there is a gap between societal ideals and realities. For instance, when the ideal for a society is to achieve the highest levels of education and the reality is that an overwhelming percentage of society is locked out of achieving this ideal, there is a gap between societal ideals and societal realities. This is a need to advocate.
• Advocate to support the most vulnerable to have a share in a hopeful vision for the future. Advocacy does not the poor against the rich. Advocacy does not take resources away from one group to give to the other. Advocacy creates a fair society. Advocacy can create equity between society’s dominant people and those who are subordinated.
• Advocates help law and policy makers to see issues from a different perspective. Advocates are responsible for opening up a space for dialogue and discussion with law and policymakers.
• Advocates are the vanguard of the preservation and enhancement of human rights.

+ What are some examples of successful Advocacy?

• All international humanitarian and rights – based laws which were non-existent before the 19th century have been written and recognized as a result of advocacy by hundreds of NGOs from around the world.
• Advocacy changes practices and protocols. In the United States, advocates for victims of domestic violence have educated and trained law enforcement officers who are first responders on the scene of domestic violence. Training has helped these officers develop more effective methods in forensic observation, ultimately keeping victims safe.
• Advocacy influences the behaviors of majority groups to benefit more vulnerable minority groups. When women’s groups insisted that businesses in America make on-the-job sexual harassment grounds for termination of employment, there was a marked change in the workplace environment.

+ Who can Advocate?

Anyone can. We can! Advocacy highlights social, economic and political issues that have the potential to either negate or affirm human rights and gender equality.

Join the WG-USA members and constituents advocating for our priority issues: Educational Equity, Human Trafficking, Violence Against Women, Women, Peace and Security, Climate Change, and Migrant, Refugee and Displaced Women and Girls. Send a note to advocacy@wg-usa.org. If there are other issues that are close to your heart, advocate for those issues as an individual or in collaboration with other organizations.

+ What issues need Advocacy?

• Advocate for any socio-economic and political issues.
• Advocate for domestic and global issues impacting the lives of women and girls. Advocacy may target your state government, the US government, The United Nations, other multi-lateral institutions like the World Bank and on occasion the governments of other countries

+ When is Advocacy needed?

• Advocacy does not have a season. Advocate year round.
• Be aware of the schedules and availability of policy-makers.
• Identify when individuals, organizations and groups are available for collaboration. Advocacy partners create a unified request and have a greater impact on law and policy-makers.
• WG–USA sends email alerts using “e-Blasts” and “Action Network”. These alerts include recommendations for advocacy and action to our members when US law-makers are considering a bill that is relevant to WG–USA priorities.

+ What can advocacy do for the advocates?

• Advocacy is an inherently educational process. Advocates are valued members of society.
• Advocacy has been known to empower the advocates themselves. When advocates become subject matter experts in a particular issue, when they become knowledgeable about the driving and resisting forces that impact issues; skilled at negotiations; in building coalitions, in understanding how laws get passed and when they begin to think more strategically, all knowledge and skills translate into valuable personal and professional growth.