Café Orange breakfast in the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence

In Burundi, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, 2023 edition, was celebrated under the national theme "United: investing to prevent violence against women and girls."

The "Café Orange" breakfast meeting, organized jointly by UNICEF and UN Women on December 8, 2023, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, was an important occasion for stakeholders involved in promoting human rights. This event provided a platform to discuss the challenges, best practices, lessons learned, and prospects in the fight against violence towards women and girls in Burundi.

"Protecting, defending, and promoting gender equality rights is neither easy nor straightforward. It requires strong commitment, courage, determination, and technical expertise among leaders of change," said Pontien Hatungimana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender.

Some of the efforts already made include the adoption of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the management of GBV cases, as well as SOPs for child protection cases in 2023. These initiatives have been instrumental in improving the system for identifying and supporting women and child survivors of violence, and in strengthening referral mechanisms towards specialized services for GBV survivors and child protection services. Access to quality services is also facilitated thanks to active coordination under the leadership of the Ministry of National Solidarity. Coordination mechanisms include the Gender Sector Group and its Thematic Group on GBV, and the Child Protection Coordination Group.

However, despite the progress made, there are still barriers to accessing justice and essential social services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The requirement of a medical certificate, at the expense of survivors, to lodge a complaint; the need for an identity card to give birth in a hospital (which can be challenging for young girls who have experienced sexual violence resulting in an unwanted pregnancy); or the requirement of a marriage certificate to benefit from free prenatal healthcare, are all significant challenges. These issues necessitate high-level joint advocacy for resolution.

This is why Clara Anyangwe, UN Women Representative, emphasized the “need for greater mobilization to facilitate and strengthen communities’ access to tools, activities, and resources to prevent gender-based violence.”

The importance of coordination between the various stakeholders and mechanisms in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) was also noted. According to UNICEF, all stakeholders must work together to enhance the capacity of social workers and paraprofessionals to better support survivors of SGBV and child survivors of violence, abuse, and exploitation.

“This campaign has helped us in strengthening our joint efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls, which is exacerbated by other factors such as social norms, armed conflict in some countries, climate change, pandemics like COVID-19, and a hostile economic environment for development,” noted France Bégin, UNICEF Representative.

The meeting was attended by several stakeholders, including UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, the World Bank, the European Union, the embassies of the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, the Swiss Cooperation, women's organizations, women-led civil society organizations, civil society organizations involved in promoting gender equality, child protection organizations, and others.