In Barisal, the campaign organisers of Association of Voluntary Actions for Society (AVAS) deliberately sought to distance the campaign message and activities from donors or political affiliation to make sure the anti-violence message appealed to all leaders. When approached about supporting the campaign, political leaders expressed an appreciation for the fact the campaign logo and message were not biased towards any political agenda.

In the spirit of openness, AVAS sought to build a strong citizen’s committee to lead the campaign, including the active participation of representatives from various political parties. At the end of 2013 and early 2014 (during the political violence period) the Barisal citizens’ committee proved to be enthusiastic towards and effective in designing impartial campaign events that incorporated a broad representation of community leadership.

AVAS was set up to ensure women’s right and leadership. Currently AVAS is focusing on empowering women, introducing a safe water supply and effective sanitation, preserving rights for women and children, legal aid and education, literacy education for the underprivileged, reproductive health education for the adolescents, HIV/AIDS and STI prevention, preserving civic and human rights as well as combating violence against women and children.