A team of young Malagasy people won $ 24,500 from the US State Department for their project “Women Break The Silence”, which is due to start in January next year. It aims to support victims of sexual violence and to combat the stigma surrounding sexual assault.
with our correspondent in Antananarivo, Like Laetitia
“Help victims move from status to survivors’ status and fight the rape culture in Madagascar”, this is the goal of Women Break the Silence, explains Marie-Christina Kolo, initiator of the project, which obtained this funding under the 2020 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund, a global competition (organized by the Office of Education and Cultural Affairs of the United States State Department) that this year focuses on women, peace, and security. Marie-Christina Kolo, a young social entrepreneur and activist, is known on the Big Island for her many commitments, especially to the benefit of vulnerable women.
Gather testimonies and data on harassment and sexual assault in colleges and universities. This is what this funding will allow, states the team of young activists. Information used, among other things, to create works of art and board games to raise awareness of sexual violence, help victims overcome their trauma and speak out on the rape taboo.
► also read : In Madagascar, domestic violence increases during incarceration
The team also plans to set up reception centers for victims gender-based violence. A project concentrated in several major cities in the country, particularly in Antananarivo, the capital, in Tamatave, in Nosy Be or even in Diego Suarez. At this site in the far north, four out of five women have already suffered physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence, and only 4% have gone to a police station, a UNDP survey reveals.
In recent months, media coverage of rape cases has increased on the Big Island and has triggered a wave of indignation, but victim support structures remain very rare.
► also read : The Malagasy parliament adopts a law against gender-based violence
.
