The Stop Violence Coalition is a networking platform of national NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Bangladesh, supported by a range of like-minded partners (12 in number). The network advance a culture of non-violence in Bangladesh by equipping citizens for advocacy and duty bearers for non-violent conflict & dispute resolution, transformation and management. This work aims to counter and prevent violent extremism in Bangladesh. SVC aims to become aware of facets of violence and extremism based on proof and communal context via open source data.

The journey of SVC began way back in 2014 when present member organizations started a campaign spanning from  Oct - Nov 2014 called the “Social Harmony Campaign”. It is considered to be the first ever public activity in Bangladesh from the organization to create mass awareness against violence. The event started with the celebration of the 2nd of October, the UN declared 'day of non-violence.'  After successfully completing the activities throughout the month of October till the mid of November, the partners decided to attend two regional conferences to share their experience and views on this activity. There they immediately felt the need to build a common platform to carry on their work. They realized the urgency of creating a base to spread their message all across Bangladesh through their core local partners. The member organizations therefore created the “Stop Violence Coalition.”

The coalition members elected their working body comprised of 5 organizational representatives and an advisory board of 2 supporting organizational representatives. This was with the intention of enabling the coalition to be both decisive and functional. 

SVC primarily aims to ensure communal peace through building relationships among civil society, local representatives and legal institutions. SVC believes strategic partnership with academicians, synergy with stakeholders from local and national levels and the proper implementation of UN acts only, can prove to be beneficial for a variety of communities.

To run the network smoothly, the member organizations decided to build their secretariat at Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and appoint a national coordinator to support them in their activities against violence. The member organizations also adopted the “Foundation Document of Stop Violence Coalition (SVC)” which guides the coalition towards achieving their goals.

Vision

The SVC envisions a Bangladesh in which political and communal violence never occur, in which citizens participate peacefully in their own governance, and in which non-violent conflict resolution and transformation takes place continuously in every part of the country to prevent and counter violent extremism

Mission Statement

The Stop Violence Coalition exists to advocate and campaign for a culture of non-violent political and communal relations in Bangladesh through equipping citizens and engaging duty bearers both directly and indirectly.

Objectives

SVC's main objective is engaging the community directly through the local trustworthy, similar minded and acceptable organizations along with local Civil Society Groups

Activities

• SVC’s approach places emphasis on the potentiality of local communities to respond to violence by enhancing the community’s resilience.
• The SVC engages the communities:
• directly through the local trustworthy, similar minded and acceptable organization
• along with local civil society groups
• SVC enhances cooperation on local and national levels through:
• strategic partnerships with academician, state actors and others working in the relevant field,
• synergy with national, regional and local stakeholders combatting violence and extremism,
• respecting international and national declarations, acts, policies, and regulations.