Stakeholder analysis examines the groups who are affected by the campaign issue. Its purpose is to identify the campaign target audiences, as well as other institutions and people that have a more or less direct stake in the campaign issue, so as to decide on the campaign strategy and tactics.
Stakeholders are not only persons directly affected by VAW, but everybody with a likely interest in the campaign outcomes, e.g. parliamentarians, police, justice, health personnel, and family members, colleagues or other people who are in contact with VAW survivors or perpetrators. Government institutions at all relevant levels are routinely part of a stakeholder analysis, as governments have a duty to address violence against women and girls as a violation of human rights. That includes ministries and departments of finance, women’s affairs, justice, health, education, interior, labour and social affairs, among others.
Whether a stakeholder is a potential ally, a target or a likely detractor of the planned campaign depends on the context and the nature of the campaign. For example, the Ministry in charge of Public Security may be an ally in a behaviour change campaign aiming to ensure that rape cases are systematically reported to and effectively handled by the police. The same Ministry could be the primary target of an advocacy campaign calling for more effective government implementation of legislation to prevent and punish rape. It could even be a detractor, for example if high-level officials from that Ministry feel threatened by a campaign that may publicize cases of police abuse against women. In some situations, different departments within the same institution may play different roles in the same campaign. Careful stakeholder analysis is therefore a key element of effective campaign planning. Key stakeholders should be monitored throughout the campaign, as they may “change sides” or perform other shifts that the campaign strategy and tactics must reckon with.
This section presents common tools in stakeholder analysis. It is recommended to work in a group benefit from rich, diverse perspectives. For more information and tools on stakeholder mapping and identifying target audiences, see also Key Tools to Identify Targets in the Campaign Strategy section of this module.