Membership Approval and Termination:

All those who apply and commit themselves to abiding by WWSOSA’s objectives, values and principles, are accepted.

Term of Membership, Termination, Resignation:

Membership of the Coalition is ongoing, unless terminated for the following reasons:

  1. A member resigns in writing
  2. A member violates the values, positions and principles of the Coalition.
  3. A member acts in any way that is to the detriment of the Coalition or its reputation.

Management Committee reserves the right to terminate a members’ membership on the basis of 2 or 3.

The Value of WWSOSA Membership:

Members do not pay a membership fee at this stage.

The WWSOSA Coalition is intended to ADD VALUE TO ITS MEMBERS’ WORK.

As a membership based organization, WWSOSA’s work is membership-driven.  The Coordination offers channels for members to communicate their needs, contribute to supporting other members to strengthen their capacity, and/or undertake joint initiatives. While unable to meet all individual needs, it is committed to facilitating access for members to technical support as needed, through its networking activities and resources database.

Activities include the following, made available to members who wish to take advantage of them:

  • Face-to-face or online meetings for joint reflection, shared learning or planning joint advocacy or fund raising initiatives;
  • Facilitating access to key online faith based and other SGBV resources and organisations;
  • Collecting, documenting and/or distributing good practice examples to influence faith based practice to end SGBV more widely;
  • Offering secretariat or resource mobilisation support for interest groups to undertake collaborative actions.

Membership Roles and Responsibilities:

As a national platform, the WWSOSA Coalition invites members to:

  1. Complete a membership form, thereby indicating their agreement to the values, principles and commitments outlined in it.
  2. Contribute their skills, gifts and resources to building the WWSOSA Coalition.
  3. Actively participate in WWSOSA initiatives, as appropriate for their work.
  4. Promote WWSOSA through co-branding where appropriate (as per the communications guidelines).
  5. Share survivor inputs, as well as best practices and approaches with the Coalition. This information may be submitted to the Coordinator who will share it on www.wewillspeakout.org.
  6. Where possible, share relevant data that could strengthen reports, responses and advocacy initiatives. This information may be shared via the website, www.wewillspeakout.org

Values and Principles:

The roles and responsibilities of members of the Coalition are based on the following values, principles and commitments, which members are expected to endorse and promote while also living them in their daily lives and work:

Values:

  1. We believe all people are created in God’s image;
  2. We respect and uphold the dignity of all people and the wider creation;
  3. We are guided by those most directly affected by Sexual & Gender Based Violence and Injustice;
  4. We believe that God is a God of Justice – and that we are called to work for justice;
  5. We are driven by a commitment to gender equality.

Principles and Positions:

Sexual violence is unacceptable, inexcusable and intolerable in all its manifestations.

  • Importance of faith leaders and communities: From their platform within local communities, people of faith play a vital role in raising awareness, advocating against impunity and for survivors’ rights, challenging cultural gender norms and addressing related justice issues without fear or favour.
  • Importance of survivor voices: WWSOSA aligns itself with survivors as key participants in guiding meaningful action at all levels.
  • Do no harm: It is important to ensure that ‘no harm’ is brought to individuals and communities in all that we do.
  • Equality and Inclusivity: We embrace diversity, seeking to treat all individuals with respect and dignity.
  • Safe Space: Faith communities are called to be safe spaces for all, through ensuring, facilitating and promoting discussion of sensitive issues relating to sexual violence.
  • Human rights based approach: All individuals have the basic human right to be protected from violence and for justice to be served, according to the national laws and international UN declarations.
  • Partnership/Mutual respect: Mutual partnership entails respecting those who have differing views, as long as they do not contradict WWSOSA’s principles and positions.
  • Accountability and integrity: We seek to live out the values and principles of the kind of society we are striving for, in our lives and work places. The means is as important as the end.

Consent for use of member information:

The Management Committee or any person delegated to manage the membership will not share the contact details of individual members with any third party without said member’s express permission. A membership list of names and/or organisations without contact details may  be published on WWSOSA’s website and/or social media, and members’ photographs and names may be used for advocacy or media purposes. Organisational membership details will be addedd to an online seachable database.

WWSOSA will ensure that all photographs/ films/ recordings/ interviews taken are suitable for use and will ensure they are not used to discriminate or defame any person/s.