Towards a Gender Equal World: the EU Gender Action Plan III

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• Gender marker: G2-Promotes gender equality as a primary objective
• Period of implementation: July 2020-July 2024
• Amount: EUR 1,800,000
• Geographical area: Senegal     
• (Co-)funded by: Italy
• Implementing partners: Senegalese Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection    
• Link to the project:  
  • https://korinteractive.com/SITES/PASNEEG1/
• Team Europe Initiative contribution: Green Economy in Senegal
• GAP III’s Areas:
  • Gender-Based Violence
  • Economic and social empowerment
  • Women, peace and security

Despite all governmental efforts to promote gender equality through legal and institutional changes, Senegal remains a patriarchal society with practices, attitudes and traditional beliefs that continue to reinforce unequal gender roles.

Therefore, working hand in hand with the Senegalese Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection as implementing partner, the Italian Development Cooperation,  in alignment with its Guidelines on Gender Equality and the empowerment of women and girls,  supports the promotion and protection of women’s rights in the country. But this support is not only at the institutional or legislative level (Plan Senegal Emergent and the National Strategy for Gender Equality – SNEEG - 2016 -2026) but also regarding women’s legal, economic and social status and with a particular focus on fighting gender-based violence.

Thus, by supporting the National Strategy for Gender Equality, the PASNEEG project contributes to strengthening the provision of integrated and holistic services for victims of gender-based violence, building the capacity of all stakeholders involved or conducting strategic studies (perpetrator profiles, mapping access to employment opportunities, etc.) that contribute to better information, monitoring and evaluation systems.

A good example of all these efforts are the centres for the promotion and protection of women's rights, better known as Boutiques de Droit, managed by the Association of Senegalese Women Lawyers.  Since the beginning of the project (July 2020), more than 9,000 people (eldest women, young girls, and men) received free legal advice at the five Boutiques supported by the project.

What´s more, on 25 November 2022, the Ministry of Women, Family, and Child Protection inaugurated 116 Hotlines as listening, guidance, and information platforms – active 7 days a week, 24 hours a day – that ensure the protection of women and young people, especially victims of gender-based violence, including a fund of EUR 32,000 for small initiatives to economically empower these victims that benefit more than 170 individual projects.  

Besides, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly, this intervention has promoted an exchange of national and international experiences as well as capacity-building initiatives to accelerate ongoing legal reform processes. These activities are reinforced by a communication plan, advocacy actions addressed to policymakers such as the National Assembly and awareness-raising campaigns among opinion leaders, local communities, the private sector or youth and women's networks. It also supports, in partnership with civil society organisations and action-research centres, national government and local communities on gender budgeting processes.

But this project goes a step further and fosters a more transformative change in attitudes, behaviours, and practices by strengthening the capacities of women/girls, local communities, CSOs, teachers, institutional actors, media, etc., to ensure the rights of Senegalese women, to combat all forms of discrimination and to fight gender-based violence in the country. By promoting a multidimensional and intersectional approach, women and girls are recognised as agents of change and development, with a strong emphasis on political participation and decision-making.

Do not miss the opportunity to listen to their testimonies and watch this video about the Boutiques de Droit!