The situation for women and children in Guinea-Bissau has improved, especially with regard to the most harmful and cruel practice, female genital mutilation, according to the institute, which defends the rights of Guinea’s most vulnerable people.
In an interview with Lusa, the President of the Institute of Women and Children (IMC), Kvite Jata, assures that “there are many achievements in various areas affecting girls and women,” not only in terms of defense and protection laws, but also in everyday practice.
Lusa spoke to the person in charge on the occasion of the 16-day awareness campaign against gender-based violence, which is ongoing and will take place in various regions of Guinea-Bissau until December 16th.
To realize the progress achieved, the IMC president points to the example of schools where the “majority” of graduates are women, which “means that the school education aspect is already developing.”
“The younger generation is no longer lost in learning,” he says.
The only thing that worries us in this area is another layer between 15 and 39 years old, we still have problems,” he notes, defending the need for literacy in this age group.
Another notable advance is in the area of economic violence, as “previously women did not have the right to inherit from their parents and husband, but the situation has also changed, especially in the educational sector.”
In one of the most sensitive areas – female genital mutilation – the IMC president guarantees progress, “despite all reports to the contrary.”
“If practitioners do it secretly, that is progress, it means that people understand that it is not only harmful to their health, but that they are also breaking the law,” he argues.
Quite Jata reiterates that there is “a lot of progress” within the country, but the country is in a sub-region of Africa “where there is immigration of people of other nationalities who are trying to circumvent this practice.”
Forced early marriage remains a domestic concern and is one of the topics of the awareness-raising caravan that travels around the country calling for family planning as well.”
“Because getting pregnant at an early age leaves you ‘trapped’ and proves your parents right who will say she refused to get married and look what happened,” he noted, arguing that in communities where decisions are made sometimes even without consulting the mother.
Another issue that remains relevant “is the most brutal and harmful practice” – female genital mutilation, fanado in Creole, which “encompasses all types of violence and consequences for people.”
“It exists, but not as much as before, because if they do it secretly, it is because they have already understood. There is, but there is a decline in the country,” he assured, explaining that the last public report of cases was associated with a family that is not Guinean.
“But this is our territory in which we must work so that whoever comes here respects the existing laws, who strives to know how things are here in the country, especially what is related to violence, what is related to health, what is related to have something to do with life,” he says.
There is also sexual exploitation, which he says exists, but “the problem is that people make it taboo.”
“If I was sexually raped, I’m ashamed to say so. Neighbors do not want cases of sexual assault in the community to become known. It even happens in families,” she says.
The IMC President notes that “whoever commits these acts with someone from an educated family has problems, they will be reported” and “the more enlightened people are, the more educated people are,” the fewer such cases occur.
Therefore, he emphasizes, “the best mechanism for eradicating most of the violence” seen in the country “is to increase the level of education, educate women who are not yet literate, and also men, because educated men do not do this.” What “.