Projects

Preventing and combating sexual and gender-based violence against children in Burkina Faso

Project duration: 2021 - 2026 (6 years)

Biig -Yi- Nere, "for the well-being of the child" in Mooré.

A partnership between the Burkinabe state, the International Bureau for Children's Rights, community networks and cells, civil society and children in Burkina Faso to contribute to the improvement of the child protection system through capacity building and coordination of defence and security forces, social work, health, education and justice. 

Our objectives:

• To strengthen the skills of members of the defence forces (armed forces and gendarmerie) and security forces (police, regional child protection brigades), social work, health, justice (magistrates, prison security guards) and education and school services in relation to children's rights and the fight against violence.
• Strengthen and implement tools to effectively prevent and combat sexual and gender-based violence against children, especially girls.
• Empowerment and strengthening of their mobilisation as subjects of rights and their participation in their own protection, through technical support to several national associations working with children.

These changes will thus contribute to an environment where all children can claim and exercise their most fundamental rights, ensuring - especially for girls - the enjoyment of their rights without being exposed to sexual and gender-based violence.

Key-actions:

• The action will focus on risk reduction and combating sexual and gender-based violence in at least three regions affected by the humanitarian crisis.
• A second component will specifically target the prevention of the risk of increased violence in the context of containment and pandemic, in the face of the isolation of children and the breakdown of access to protection services. 

Sectors involved:

• Institutional stakeholders: professionals from the six targeted state sectors, as well as the project's technical and financial partners  
• Non-governmental stakeholders: community child protection networks and units, civil society organisations that support children and international child protection NGOs present in Burkina Faso 
• Girls and boys in Burkina Faso: as subjects of rights and actors of their own protection.

The project stages: 

1. Development of sectoral or multi-sectoral procedures
2. Design of training kits and tools 
3. Creation of a pool of certified trainers 
4. Monitoring the first uses of the tools and training kits 
5. Developing an advocacy strategy to sustain the changes 

This project is made possible through the financial support of Global Affairs Canada.