We are using multiple levers to provide better living conditions for children: helping families to face their difficulties, improving access to health care and education, focusing on early childhood development. But protection against violence, in addition to being a duty of assistance, is also an indispensable axis for the development of the child.
The violence suffered by a child does not go away when he or she grows up, on the contrary. Each violence is a trauma that impacts not only the immediate well-being of the child, but also his or her capacity to be happy, fulfilled and autonomous in the future. In the countries where we intervene, violence against children is very present and the actors of child protection lack the means to fight it. Violence against women is also important and deprives them of their ability to protect their children.
Our strategy to fight violence against women and children is to build sustainable local protection and prevention mechanisms that involve the family, the community and social services. It is broken down into 4 main objectives:
- Protect the most vulnerable groups and support the victims
- Strengthen the autonomy and capacities of women and girls to exercise their rights and be financially autonomous
- Wrestle for gender equality in communities by raising awareness among women and men, and initiating behavioral change
- Improve access to and quality of child welfare services
The fight against violence against children is one of the pillars of development.
It helps break the vicious cycle of poverty by :
- Reduction of physical and psychological distress
- The intellectual growth and development of children
- Autonomy and confidence in adulthood
- The care of one's own children