25-11-2021 | di COOPI

Ecuador. COOPI against gender-based violence

In the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25^th November), COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale joins the UN Women campaign “16 days of activism” to end gender-based violence (GBV). In a transversal way, thanks to the project funded by UNICEF in Ecuador, COOPI has adopted policies that include the gender approach and the protection of GBV survivors, so creating more sustainable rights-based cities.

Within these policies, aspects targeted by the implemented activities concern awareness-raising on gender-based violence, prevention of sexual abuse, women's empowerment and access to employment.

Actions on violence prevention and awareness-raising address how prevention processes and case management are implemented in coordination with survivors protection networks. In this sense, work is also being done  to strengthen the capacities of local rights protection officers in GBV service structures at cantonal level.

In addition, through the "Mi Escudo" toolkit, COOPI works on a methodology for the prevention of child sexual abuse with children and adolescents. This action is developed with the population in a situation of human mobility and host communities.

Lastly, a gender mainstreaming strategy is applied in the project intervention model in order to ensure women's empowerment and the inclusion of survivors of gender-based violence in the labour market; this is done through the identification of cases and the insertion of women in livelihood generation processes, through their processes for entrepreneurship and access to employability.

The articulation of these projects with the work tables in the territory, with women's movements and protection networks for victims and survivors of GBV is one of COOPI's priorities; at the same time inclusion and active and effective participation of women in its projects is fundamental because it contributes and assume the global commitment towards the eradication of violence against women and girls.

Since 1967, COOPI has been working in Ecuador to support small-scale artisans and women, in order to guarantee them a more dignified standard of living and fair and inclusive access to services.