WHO WE ARE

It has long been acknowledged that gender inequality violates people’s human rights and keeps people in poverty, obstructing development in many countries.

In March 2015 Christian Aid invited a number of faith-based organisations and institutions to a consultative workshop to discuss ways of addressing this. The outcome was the establishment of a movement of people of faith who will work together to bring about change. A global inception group began planning, and Side by Side is the product of many hours of collaboration. We are excited by the way people from across the globe are working together and are committed to seeing gender justice established.

Our History - Where it Started

Over several years many international development organisations have recognised the need to address gender inequalities.

Identity - Who we are

Side by Side is a growing faith global movement pursuing transformational change for gender justice.

We are people of faith, faith leaders and faith-based organisations (FBOs) across the world committed to partnering together to challenge barriers to gender justice. We are united by our beliefs that each person is made in the image of God and has intrinsic value and dignity.

At local, national and international levels, we partner together wherever possible to work towards gender justice, where everyone is valued equally and able to share equitably in the distribution of power, knowledge, and resources and live free from violence.

Vision and Goals

Side by Side’s vision is to see all people free from cultural and interpersonal systems of privilege and oppression, and from violence and repression rooted in gender inequality.

We acknowledge that religious teachings have often endorsed social and cultural norms that perpetuate gender injustice, and recognise that people of faith and our religious leaders have a responsibility to revisit sacred texts and promote faith values of love, dignity and gender justice.

OUR GOALS ARE TO

Gender inequality is no longer considered acceptable under any social, political, economic, religious or cultural circumstances
Behaviours and practices no longer condone, promote, or model gender injustice
Social, political, and economic development outcomes are gender-equitable, as set out in the desired outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Power relations between women and men are equitable and all people, regardless of their sex or gender, exercise agency and autonomy over their own lives
Gender-based violence is eliminated and no longer tolerated under any social, political, religious, or cultural circumstances.

To Make Side by Side Sustainable We Must

Understand intersectionality to be the “theory that various forms of (prejudice and) discrimination centred on race, gender, class, disability, sexuality, and other forms of identity, do not work independently but interact to produce particularized forms of social oppression.

As such, oppression is the result of intersecting forms of exclusionary practices”(Oxford reference: www.oxfordreference.com). Intersectionality is a useful lens because it brings together all systems of oppression (sexism, racism, classism, ableism, ethnocentrism etc) in its analysis so that no one or group is left behind or excluded. We aim to ensure it is at the heart of our work for gender justice.

Aims

Our aims are to:

Shift values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and practices (among individuals, and within communities and religious institutions) to recognize gender inequality as unacceptable and contrary to religious teaching and practice
Ensure that community level faith responses to gender injustice are more effective and sustainable
Ensure that legal systems, including state and religious and customary laws, recognize, prevent and adequately respond to gender injustice
Ensure that gender justice is an explicit aim both of religious institutions and governments with effective policies, programmes and resources in place to achieve it
Generating innovative and alternative models for confronting and dismantling structural and ideological patriarchy and gender inequality that are long-term and sustainable

Identify and work with faith actors at a national level to develop and lead action plans to challenge barriers to achieving gender justice. Support existing and new faith partnerships to strengthen capacity on gender at national, regional and global leveL
Social, political, and economic development outcomes are gender equitable as set out in the desired outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Power relations between women and men are equitable and all people, regardless of their sex or gender, exercise agency and autonomy over their own lives

Gender-based violence is eliminated and no longer tolerated under any social, political, religious or cultural circumstances.

Activities/Interventions/Strategies

The activities provide a flexible framework that is part of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning assessment criteria for SBS community.

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