Two health centers for victims of violence called “One stop center” opened this week in Bamako. On August 5, eight more will be made available to the Malian government in the Kayes, Koulikoro, Ségou and Sikasso regions, as part of the Spotlight project. A joint initiative of the European Union and the UN to try to “eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls”.
as reported from Bamako, Kaourou Magassa
In the yard of the health center Bamako municipality 4, a rebuilt container functions as a new unit. The service wants to facilitate access to care for people suffering from gender-based violence (GBV) through an interdisciplinary approach. Doctor Amaguiré Saye is responsible for that. “Justice is there, the police are there and so is the psychologist,” explains lead doctor Amaguiré Saye, director of the center. So that everything is handled without the survivor having to travel elsewhere to be able to find answers to these questions. The goal is to bring justice to these women who are exposed to these abuses throughout the day. “
Complications related to excision
A help that is still unknown to the residents of the surrounding districts. In a morning alone a victim for genital mutilation introduced himself to the device. According to hospital figures, complications related to excision are the second reason for consultation for GBV. After sexual abuse.
“If violence is committed, it is within the family itself that we try to deal with in a social way,” emphasizes Abdoul Razack Dicko, chief physician at the health center. it’s the girl who will be ashamed, and it is the family who will be ashamed. “
Apart from the taboos, Mali has no specific laws that criminalize gender-based violence. To the great disappointment of victim protection associations.
► Read also: Violence against women: Malian women have been waiting for a law for more than three years
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