The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Gender-oriented Human Rights Workshops

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In April 2003 Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held a training workshop focussed on gender-based human rights violations. Organised by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights, the workshop is designed to strengthen the capacity of the TRC and local NGOs to deal with the gender dimensions of the peace and reconciliation process in Sierra Leone.
Communication Strategies

Workshops highlight the impact of armed conflict on women and children, promoting gender-sensitivity in handling female victims' testimonies and building the skills and materials necessary to deal with victims, witnesses, and perpetrators in the spirit of reconciliation.


Specifically, the first training workshop was organised to coincide with the April 14th start of the public hearings phase of the TRC's mandate. The Commissioners agreed that provisions would be made for the collection of additional testimonies on sexual violence after the start of the hearings. Provisions were also made to provide support and guidance to female victims to encourage them to testify in either open or closed hearings. Support was provided in the form of family, community, and NGO support and trauma-counseling services. The TRC worked closely with NGOs that focus on women's issues during the process, with special efforts dedicated to addressing women's needs not just as victims, but as advocates as well.

Development Issues

Conflict, Gender, Rights, Women, Children.

Key Points

Enacted into law in February 2000, the TRC is mandated to create an impartial historical record of human rights abuses related to the armed conflict in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 1999. Modeled after the Commission in South Africa, the TRC aims to promote healing and reconciliation and to restore the dignity of victims by addressing impunity and responding to victims' needs. The Commission is mandated to focus on the needs of women and children and to pay special attention to sexual abuse as a human rights violation.

Sources

Press release forwarded to the Unifem list server on April 17, 2003.