Guidelines for launching or promoting a Campaign through the Network

The Sex Rights Africa Network is a regional knowledge-exchange hub to share evidence and strengthen action to realise sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) for all in Southern Africa and globally.
The SexRightsAfrica.net platform offers many ways for individuals and organisations to connect with each other and support each other in their work on SRHR. Among these is using the website to host and promote campaigns to advance any aspect of comprehensive, inclusive sexual and reproductive health rights in Southern Africa.
The range of campaigns the Network can host includes:

  • Ongoing global campaigns initiated by the UN, inter-governmental or non-governmental agencies (e.g. the Sustainable Development Goals, Human Rights Agreements linked to SRHR)
  • Regional/ continental campaigns to ensure implementation of commitments to realise SRHR (e.g. the ESA Commitment on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Services, the African Commission for People and Human Rights campaign for the decriminalisation of abortion and the Girls Not Brides campaign);
  • New campaigns in response to violations or neglect of SRHR in specific contexts (e.g. national campaigns against sexual violence on campus, campaigns on the rights of LGBTI people to access services);
  • Campaigns linked to relevant national and international days (eg IDAHOT, World Refugee Day).

The website can support such campaigns in the following ways:

Home page
A feature on the campaign, through In the Spotlight;
A Poll on the focus of the campaign.

News
An announcement of the launch of the campaign, or a new development, can be posted in Latest News.

Action
This area of the website provides a space to encourage collective action on a priority issue. It can be used to:

  • Introduce the campaign, its objectives, reasons to support it and ways to do so. This coverage can be linked to background documents with additional information, arguments to support advocacy, research on the issues etc;
  • Mobilise support through the Youth Forum if the campaign is focused on young people;
  • Host a Petition to mobilise support for the campaign.

Network
The Network section of the website is where you can find out Who’s Who in SRHR and choose the best way to promote your campaign. Options here include:

  • Starting a Discussion forum or thread to enable people to debate and explain the issues;
  • Appealing to Network members to share expertise and resources to support the campaign (see Resources section below).

Resources
This dynamic database of SRHR-relevant materials enables you to search, upload, download and review a range of research, policy documents, media reports and other resources that inform and support campaigns to make SRHR real.

Social media
From the website, you can post directly to the Network Facebook page and Twitter account to highlight the goals, progress and key events of your campaign. (Please note that posts are moderated).

Requirements and conditions for inclusion

Eligibility
Any individual or organisation is welcome to propose a campaign for inclusion. First preference will be given to campaigns that are organised by or for the benefit of vulnerable and marginalised populations in Southern Africa.

Submission and review process
Campaign information can be submitted via the online form or e mailed to info@sexrightsafrica.net
You can also contact the website team using the online form or e-mail if you need assistance in developing your campaign or preparing your campaign material.
It is the responsibility of the organiser of the campaign to ensure that adequate, accurate and up-to-date information is supplied. This should include:

  • Name of the campaign
  • Name and contact details of organiser
  • Goal and target of the campaign
  • Description of the background to and motivation for the campaign
  • Clear guidelines for supporting the campaign
  • Deadlines for action
  • Copies of links to supporting documents (eg research, media reports)
  • Where possible, high quality relevant images, including official branding of the campaign and organisational logos.

In the case of an existing campaign related to SRHR, where public appeals for support have been issued, the moderators may feature one or more campaigns using material already in the public domain and referring supporters directly to the host organisation (for example the Girls Not Brides campaign).
Once a campaign has been accepted, it will be hosted on the website for an agreed period of time (usually one month) but may be featured repeatedly if there are updates or outcomes to report.

Terms of use
The SexRightsAfrica.net platform is an open, moderated knowledge exchange portal. It is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit initiative. All material submitted is subject to review to ensure that it is in line with the website Terms of Use. The moderators reserve the right to reject material that is in breach of those terms or is submitted by an individual or organisations whose aims or objectives are in conflict with the purpose of the Network.
The Network is hosted by the AIDS Foundation of South Africa in association with the Regional SRHR Fund, supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Lusaka, Zambia, Hivos Southern Africa and the Ford Foundation.

You can view and download these guidelines here.