The Rural World Association (AMR) with the financial support of the Sahel Community Recovery and Stabilization Project (PCRSS) held on Monday, September 2024 in Yako, an awareness-raising workshop on gender-based violence and complaint management mechanisms for the benefit of brigadiers recruited for labor-intensive activities (HIMO) in the said commune.

As part of the Sahel Community Recovery and Stabilization Project (PCRSS) for the Northern region, the World Bank has identified activities likely to generate risks and irreversible negative impacts on the environment and the human environment.

These negative impacts include gender-based violence (GBV) and complaint management mechanisms. It is with this in mind that an awareness-raising workshop was held for the benefit of the 368 brigadiers recruited as part of the High Intensity Labor (HIMO) works by the municipality of Yako.

Led by the Rural World Association (AMR), the awareness-raising workshop aimed to raise awareness among local populations about
the prevention of risks linked to GBV and Complaint Management Mechanisms (MGP), with a view to promoting more respectful behavior in the context of their activities.

According to the trainer and facilitator at AMR, Céline Karambiri, the session consisted, among other things, of presenting images on the different forms of GBV, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment as well as the complaints management mechanism.

In her explanations, the trainer said that GBV constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights and affects all aspects of the protection and well-being of people.

“Women are not the only victims of violence,” she continued, before making it clear that men can be victims too.

Ms. Karambiri also explained that GBV could manifest itself on the cultural, physical, economic and psycho-social levels, through, among other things, rape, excision and insults.

Welcoming the efforts of the AMR in holding this training for their benefit, the brigadiers gave testimonies on cases of violence of w
hich they are often victims in their living environment.

Like Valérie Koalga and Martin Ouédraogo who admitted that this training allowed them to understand, not only the different forms of violence, but also to know how to manage them and take precautions.

“We would like to thank the initiators of the workshop, especially since they have enabled many women and men to understand how to manage GBV and behave in the face of it,” said a delighted Ms. Koalga.

The trainer thus invited the beneficiary brigadiers to denounce all forms of violence that they may be confronted with in the context of their activities/HIMO in the municipality.

She urged them to always resort to the competent authorities, in the event of victims, inviting them above all to prioritize self-control and restraint in such situations.

As a reminder, this training session for brigadiers/HIMO was also held in the three other communes of the North region, namely Titao, Ouahigouya and Gourcy.

Source: Burkina Information Agency