Outcome BDI_D_4.2

Women, including those in refugees/ IDPS camps and other vulnerable situations, experience enhanced safety, security, physical and mental health, and their human rights respected in conformity with ratified regional and international instruments

More women and girls, including displaced and returnee women and girls, continue to benefit from safe and secure socio-cultural environments and improved access to mental health care with the support of UN Women. Indeed, more national and local media, government institutions, and civil society organizations have become active partners in eliminating negative traditional practices that promote VAWG and in improving access to services for VAWG survivors. Increased work with media and community actors, targeting men, youth, community leaders, artists, cultural and religious leaders, began to gradually transform the social norms contributing to VAWG. During 2021, 18 radio stations, including 6 with national coverage and 16 community radio stations, produced and broadcast more than 132 programs focused on valorising positive masculinity as an approach to ending violence against women. With an estimated radio audience of 75% of the population, millions of women, men, girls and boys have been able to access information about available services, as well as prevention and response strategies to VAW. Also, more than 805 community members from 7 provinces improved their knowledge and perceptions through training and sensitization workshops aimed at informing participants about violence against women and girls, strengthening the responsibility of community leaders, local administrators, and social workers in the community-based care of VAWG victims at the local level. These results were achieved through several training workshops, sensitization, training, and engagement of non-traditional partners such as Muslim religious leaders (75 Imams), champions of positive masculinity (120 men), artists-creators (54 musicians, movie makers, slammers, etc.). Also, a total of 240 young girls’ leaders of community-based groups improved their knowledge on themes related to the fight against VAWG, conflict prevention and resolution through which they were able to organize community dialogues for the fight against COVID-19 and the fight against Gender-Based Sexual Violence and ensure their participation in the management of family conflicts, the promotion of positive masculinity. In addition, 110 women community leaders who are displace d, returnees, and from host communities improved their knowledge on gender equality, peace, social cohesion, and gender mainstreaming in humanitarian crises contexts, and have produced an action plan to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, and address VAWG within their communities. Finally, by working on capacity building of justice institutions to enable the establishment of a national legislative framework in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, have contributed to the enabling judicial environment for effective access to justice for survivors of VAWG through capacity building of 240 legal practitioners, including judicial police officers, judges, and prosecutors on the administration of gender sensitive justice and applicable.

Women, including those in refugees/ IDPS camps and other vulnerable situations, experience enhanced safety, security, physical and mental health, and their human rights respected in conformity with ratified regional and international instruments

Thanks to the continued work of government institutions, the media and civil society organizations, Burundian women and girls continue to benefit from a safe social environment that allows them to have increased access to quality assistance services and more opportunities for socio-economic recovery. Indeed, the combined action of the media and committed men and women who lead community mobilization initiatives for the promotion of positive values, contributes to improving the level of commitment of community members to challenge social norms that are vectors of violence and discrimination against women and girls. For instance, 13 radio stations with a national cover range, broadcasted 68 times programs focused on promoting positive masculinity as an approach to eradicate violence against women and girls and to enhance women economic empowerment. Une large partie de la population a ainsi été touché par ces émissions qui servent de modèle de référence pour lutter contre les VAWG. Additionally, Women and girls’ members of solidarity groups, women leaders from political parties and public administration including elected women across UN Women's intervention areas are linking their socio-economic recovery initiatives to initiatives leading to EVAWG, to promoting women's leadership, to more participation in community-based conflict resolution and gender equality initiatives. More than 1,549 women members of women's groups in Muyinga and Kirundo province are leading socio-economic recovery initiatives but also actively participating in local community conflict management mechanisms. In promoting Women’s rights, UN Women successfully contributed with technical and financial support to Burundi Government and CSOs to support the implementation of 7 campaigns and other social mobilization events aiming to promote and to enforce the women’s rights. These campaigns and social mobilization are related to IWD 2020, CWS66, open day on 1325 Resolution and 16 days campaigns for ending VAWG. In collaboration with women CSO and Lawyer Bare Association, the process of revising laws that still contain discriminatory provisions reached a higher level where a series of provision from women CSO where integrated in in the draft of the bill to revise the family code

Women, including those in refugees/ IDPS camps and other vulnerable situations, experience enhanced safety, security, physical and mental health, and their human rights respected in conformity with ratified regional and international instruments

Thanks to the continuous support of government service providers in the justice, health and social sectors, the media and civil society organizations, VAWG survivors, of whom around 96% are women and girls, continue to have improved access to coordinated, quality care services and more opportunities for socio-economic recovery across the country. This was made possible through the combined work of continued mobilization of key community actors to promote positive practices conducive to VAWG prevention, and capacity building of service providers and community members to provide community-based support for VAWG survivors. Thus, 2 more radio programs were broadcasted based on social norm change, awareness raising on GBV and reporting mechanisms for VAWG, and referral system, including community-based reporting mechanisms for VAWG. More than 850 men and women inclunding community leaders, repatriates and IDPs from Muyinga and Kirundo provinces participated in these programs. In addition, thanks to the partnership between UPV and CACEDEBU, 45 peace clubs and 45 women's and girls' cooperative groups, whose members have increased their capacity to manage community and family conflicts, are now conducting inter-community dialogues on ending violence against women and strengthening social cohesion. A total of 180 women members of these peace and cooperative groups also improved their skills in organizing community dialogues, conflict prevention and resolution, and ending GBV. As a result, 12 inter-community dialogues on ending VAWG and how to strengthen the community roles in supporting VAWG Survivors were organized by women from peace groups in the provinces of Kirundo and Bujumbura. Again with the aim of strengthening VAWG prevention through mindset and practices change that perpetuate VAWG, a total of 5 campaigns and other social mobilization events on women’s right implemented in close collaboration or partnership with the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, UN agencies, and implementing partners led to a mobilization of government partners, women’s movements and networks, civil society and women's rights organizations, UN system, and individuals to show progress and to make commitments in EVAWG. These are: The international woman Day 2023 which brought together more thousands of women and men in the commemorative ceremonies. The 16 days campaign of activism against gender-based violence was launched under the leadership of the First Lady of Burundi: More than 2,000 women and men took part in the launching ceremonies celebrated were touched by calls for action to end VAWG in official speeches, dances, and other traditional artistic expressions. Two Media campaigns on EVAWG prevention and community referral mechanisms and support to VAWG Survivors which touched more than 850 women and men. A “café orange” mobilizing 45 representatives of donors and key diplomatic missions provided a space for sharing information and practices to prevention and response to VAWG. In providing quality services to VAWG survivors, eight civil society organizations namely UPV, AJAP, Saemaul Undong Burundi, APFB, AFAPD, FNF, AFM, and CACEDEBU, continue to deliver and to monitor community-based organizations in organizing intergenerational dialogue on ending VAWG, trauma healing, reconciliation and promotion of positive social norms and delivering goods for women.