Launched on December 9, 2021 in Lomé by the Network of civil society organizations involved in reproductive health and family planning in Togo (ROSCI-SR/PF TOGO), the advocacy project to facilitate the legal and political environment related to gender-based violence and especially sexual violence has come to an end, after 24 months of activities. The results of the initiative are presented on December 29, 2023 to representatives of CSOs.
The first activity was the evaluation of the paramedic’s report form on first contact. A sheet that was tested 5 years ago in the Plateaux and Central regions by the NGOs ATBEF and ADESCO with funding from Plan Togo. “Both were mobilized to be able to evaluate the sheet. The collection of field data shows us that all those who were approached confirmed the usefulness of the sheet when it was used in health facilities,” shared the expert consultant on the project, Apoeté Zekpa.
Indeed, the sheet was useful in that it helped to reduce expectations. Previously, it is reported, when the victim of sexual violence presents himself at a health center, the procedure continues before obtaining the medical certificate. “This sheet did not replace the medical certificate but made it possible to evolve at a given level so that the victim had a solution to their problem,” underlined M Zékpa.
The people surveyed wanted, on the one hand, the sheet to be scaled up and, on the other hand, its improvement with developments.
As another activity of the advocacy plan, there was the development of the advocacy argument, the key messages to the prefectural health directors, meetings with the regional and prefectural health directors and the secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Access to Care, the media and legal services. “We met the SG of the Ministry of Health with our advocacy document. We are still following up on this plea to have the memo allowing each health facility to consider this sheet as a sheet that triggers the process of denunciation, detailed the consultant.
Note that the end of this project led by ROSCI does not mark the end of advocacy. “This is not a project that will stop there. There are other partners who can continue the advocacy. We have reached the end of the execution of the financing in relation to the planned activities,” said Koffi Edem Dzotsi, national president of ROSCI-SR/PF Togo.
It should be noted that the advocacy project is part of the regional project: “Scaling up the activity of improving the performance of policies and strategies DSSR in West Africa and Central Africa. This is a sub-regional grant which had already undergone a first phase with 4 countries, notably Mali, Guinea, Niger and Burkina-Faso. Given the results of the first phase, the project was renewed and extended to 5 other countries in the Ouagadougou Partnership including Togo which has chosen to facilitate the legal and political environment related to gender-based violence and especially sexual violence.
Atha ASSAN