Launch of the activist campaign against violence towards women
The Secretariat of State for the Promotion of Equality (SoPE), in partnership with civil society, launched on November 25, in the former Los Palos Market, Lautém district, a 16-day activist campaign against violence towards women. The campaign runs from November 25 to December 10 and is entitled "Peace be with me, Peace be with the Family and Peace be with you all".
The Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality, Idelta Rodrigues, was proud of the fact that the Lautém district has the opportunity to hold this event. According to Idelta Rodrigues, this campaign is a global initiative to try to raise local, national and international awareness on the issue of violence towards women, empowering the local network and making the link between local and global activism.
"We will concentrate our efforts in order to be more aware of the problem through dialogue and socialization, as an opportunity to reflect on our family, trying to unravel the violence from the cultural and historical standpoint", added Idelta.
The Vice-President of the National Parliament, Maria Paixão, highlighted: "Today we launch a very important program for our country. As you know the campaign can not only be done in these 16 days but every day, with the responsibility of all of us Timorese citizens to change our mindset in regard to violence against women".
In his turn, the Deputy Special Representative of UN for Timor-Leste, Finn Rieske Nielsen stated: "This campaign is a celebration, and at the same time a good opportunity to reaffirm our commitment and our effort to end violence against women in Timor-Leste".
The Lautém district administrator, Jeferino dos Santos Sequeira, reinforced this by adding that "the campaign intends to disseminate information to the community, especially in the Lautém district, that it is our responsibility and obligation in order to achieve its goal".
The civil society organizations with which SoSPE cooperates in these 16 days of the campaign are: Association of Men against Violence (AMKV), FOKUPERS, Alola Foundation, Women’s Youth Group of Timor-Leste (GFFTL), PRADT and, among others, the UN agencies.
Besides the Lautém District, this campaign will also be held in the districts of Viqueque, Díli, Baucau, Oe-cusse, Aileu, Manufahi, Mantuto and Liquiça. The budget for the implementation of the program is US$ 50,000, of which $15,000 are from the SoSPE and the remaining $35,000 were donated by the Government of Spain, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Fund of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs Fund).
