Zondoma/Fight against gender-based violence: AMR raises awareness among its members

Ouagadougou: In partnership with the Sahel Community Recovery and Stabilization Project (PCRSS-Burkina), the Association Monde Rural (AMR) organized, from August 28 to 31, 2024, an awareness-raising session for its members on the prevention and management of cases of gender-based violence (GBV). "As part of the implementation of the Sahel Community Recovery and Stabilization Project (PCRSS), it is our duty to raise awareness among our members, our agents, as well as all our other partners on the prevention and management of gender-based violence, in particular sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, etc.", explained the national coordinator of the Association Monde Rural (AMR), Amadou Wangré, to justify the holding of this awareness session which took place from August 28 to 31, 2024 in Gourcy. This session, chaired by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Lokré Célestin Samandoulgou, brought together members of the Board of Directors, the Strategic Orientation and Advocacy Committee, members of the Control Committee, as well as those of the offices of the provincial coordinations of the association. In his communication, GBV expert Rasmané Tarpilga first defined the key concepts before addressing the typology of GBV and the measures to be taken to prevent them. Participants also learned about the mechanisms for handling complaints and the sanctions provided for, before committing to zero tolerance for cases of GBV. According to the national coordinator of the AMR, the prevention of GBV also, and above all, involves communication. This is why, beyond awareness-raising, the rapporteurs of the provincial coordinations of the association were trained in the production of press articles and written, audio and video messages, with a view to feeding the communication tools of the structure, namely the website, digital radio, Facebook page, the magazine *Echo du Rural*, WhatsApp groups, etc. Equipped with the basic rudiments, the rapporteurs made a commitment to ensure the visibility of the association on the one hand, and to contribute, on the other hand, through their productions, to raising awareness and consciousness among the population, in accordance with the vision of the association. During the session, the rapporteurs also saw their knowledge strengthened on the PCRSS-Burkina, whose main objective is to work on the recovery of populations affected by the security crisis in the North, Centre-North and Sahel regions. Before this session, it was the AMR workers who had been made aware of the same issues. Source: Burkina Information Agency