18-01-2021 | di COOPI

Ecuador. COOPI and UNICEF train public and civil society workers for the prevention of Gender Based Violence

COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale and UNICEF works in Guayas, Manabí, El Oro, Carchi and Sucumbíos (Ecuador), now influencing the training process of publics and civil society workers for the prevention of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Since December 14 to 16 some workshops took place in Quito as part of the Project Better conditions of access to protection and security for Venezuelan children and adolescents and their families in transit and/or residing in Ecuador, funded by UNICEF. It was a complementary activity to the training on access routes to regularization of children and adolescents in conditions of human mobility.

With the support and funding of the European Commission for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the Government of Canada, public workers from the country's Local Rights Protection Systems will be trained in GBV with a playful approach to recognize abuse as a risk factor; to identify protective factors for the prevention of child sexual abuse and gender violence in the pandemic time; to build effective responses to the violation of children's rights; and to train on care and protection routes for a timely intervention.

Through the My Shield methodology the aim is to reach in the school, family and community levels, thus allowing COOPI and UNICEF to act to reverse the numbers on GBV in general and for children and adolescents in particular in Ecuador.

According to the Azulado Foundation, with data from UNICEF, International Plan, ODNA and INEC, in Ecuador 26% of children and adolescents receive violent treatment by teachers, with 42% of children between 5 and 11 years of age receiving the most blows. It should also be noted that 44% of children between 5 and 17 years old are exposed to violent punishment in their homes, 69% of girls between 10 and 15 years old have been victims of gender violence, especially sexual abuse. In addition, 1/4 girls and 1/6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday, with 93% of the abuses being committed by a close relative.

COOPI has been present in Ecuador since 1967. We are working since 2020 in programs of humanitarian assistance and response to the population in human mobility, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.