Abuja: French envoy raises awareness for gender-based violence

French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, has called for awareness for gender-based violence in the country, particularly amongst women and girls.

The French envoy made the call in Abuja as part of the global campaign that the Embassy held in conjunction with the French Institute, Abuja.

Blatmann said; “We are doing this in the occasion of 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls and this is a worldwide movement, initiative that is taking place all throughout the world.

“So, we are participating and I think it is important that when you know that 55 percent of the women in the world say that they have been victim of sexual harassment or violence; that every 11 minutes in the world, a woman is a victim of violence, I mean there is still a lot to be done.”

On the mechanism put in place by the French Embassy in Nigeria to assist victims of sexual-based violence, Blatmann disclosed that the embassy has a special fund, the PISCCA fund, that has been implemented in Nigeria since 2019.

“Every year or every 18 months, we support specifically, organisations from the civil society in Nigeria to help women.

“So, it can be in different aspects. It can be advocacy for women’s rights, but it can also be project supporting the economic autonomy of women, vulnerable women and it can also be projects that support specifically, victims of violence.

“For instance, right now, we are supporting a project in the South of Nigeria that comes in Edo State that supports specifically, victims of human trafficking – that have been victims of trafficking for prostitution. This is one thing that we do.

“We know that, for instance, widows are often in a difficult situation. We also have supported a specific project for widows. But in the past, we also supported funded projects from NGOs regarding for instance, victims of fistula,” Blatmann also said.

By The Sun

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/abuja-french-envoy-raises-awareness-for-gender-based-violence/