A women's centre lawyer supports Connie, a young victim of sexual violence between the ages of nine and 14, as she tells her story to AI delegates. © Amnesty International
By Jeremy Bloom and Vittorio Infante from the Central American team,
In Leon, a department in northwest Nicaragua, we visited the Centro Mary Barreda. Here they do amazing work supporting and protecting girls and women survivors of sexual violence and that have contracted HIV, as well as running educational prevention programmes in schools for children and teachers.
Nearly two years ago Amnesty International visited the centre to listen to the girls talk about their experiences, in particular what they experienced when they sought assistance, refuge and protection from the state.
We visited Mary Barreda to thank the girls for their amazing bravery in sharing their stories with us, and to demonstrate just how powerful their words have been. They have moved people in governments and international institutions as well as ordinary people all over the world to take action and demand justice and end sexual violence. Continue reading ‘Visiting brave girls and women survivors of sexual violence in Nicaragua’
By Pauline Dionisi, from Amnesty International’s West Africa team.
The day in Ouahigouya started with a radio show featuring Dr Traoré, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist at the town hospital, and Christian Ouedraogo, campaign coordinator for Amnesty International Burkina Faso. The radio host felt very passionately about maternal health issues and fired up the entire debate which was, thanks to his efforts, very interesting.
The afternoon activities included a drawing competition on a maternal health theme, with students of the local school. The best artists received a prize from the jury.
Continue reading ‘Ouahigouya: art and sport raise awareness of maternal health’
By Pauline Dionisi, from Amnesty International’s West Africa team.
Tougan is the second last stop on the caravan. It is significant, as it is the place where the Swiss NGO Terre des Hommes (TDH) is leading a pilot project on the exemption of user-fees for pregnant women.
The atmosphere on arrival in Tougan was very festive thanks to the local working group on maternal health, which TDH is a member of. Young boys and girls joined in traditional dances, which included hunters firing shot in the air with their rifles. After moving through the village, where banners announcing the caravan were displayed, we arrived in the main square where the village chief welcomed us.
Continue reading ‘Traditional dancing in Tougan’
By Pauline Dionisi, from Amnesty International’s West Africa team.
After some car trouble, which included engine failure, we finally made it to Bobo-Dioulasso this morning. It is the second largest city in the country and 400 km from the capital Ouagadougou.
We arrived to meet one hundred women wearing our campaign T-shirts, standing 500 yards away from the Governor’s office. We joined the women who staged a march to the entrance of the building. One of them faked giving birth, saying that if she was not listened to, she would give birth in front of the Governor’s house.
Continue reading ‘Marching on the Governor’s office in Bobo-Dioulasso’
By Pauline Dionisi, from Amnesty International’s West Africa team.
The caravan stop in Gaoua was very interesting, due to the energy and hard work of civil society in the city. Organisations including Vie Solidaire, APGF (Gaoua Association for the Promotion of Women), the African network for Youth and Solidarity, l’ABBEF (Burkinavè Association for Family Welfare) and the Red Cross, are all members of the local working group for the campaign and are carrying out substantial work in the region.
Marcellin Kambiesie, a Red Cross representative, told me about a project that exempts women from the cost of deliveries in 24 villages around Gaoua. This has led to more women giving birth in health centres. “However, we are worried about how this project will be able to continue due to limited funding,” he said.
Continue reading ‘Gaoua : poster competition raises awareness of maternal mortality’
