Fighting GBV, sexual harassment: Ecowas strengthens …

The Economic Community of States of West Africa (Ecowas) for gender development (CCDG), in collaboration with the Ivorian Ministry of women, family members and children, has started a national training seminar on prevention and response to gender violence (GBV) and sexual violence)

harassment.

The program, which was launched between Thursday 26 and Saturday 28 June 2025 in Abidjan, in Costa D’Ivoire, was part of the implementation of the regional strategy adopted in 2021 to eradicate violence
Against women and girls in the community.

The three -day meeting brought together judicial actors, of health and social with the aim of strengthening their skills and coordinating a holistic approach to the care of the victims of violence. The goal was to strengthen the participants’ skills in
Prevention, detection and management of GBV and sexual harassment.

Speaking at the opening, Moussa Diarassouba, chief of staff who represents the Minister of Women, underlined the urgency to act. “These overwhelming figures are rumors that shout for justice, repair and protection. Inaction is no longer an option,” he warned.

He invited the judicial actors to guarantee access to justice and the fight against impunity, including health professionals, to be more involved in the medical and psychological care of the victims e
Social workers in support of survivors in their social and economic reintegration.

The resident representative of Ecowas in Costa d’Avoire, the Ambassador Fanta Cissé, praised the efforts of the Ivorian government, who allowed the Côte d’Ivoire to take command in the fight
against GBV. He did not fail to invite everyone to mobilize more strongly against the multiple forms of violence, which were exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘The challenges are immense and require everyone’s combined efforts to obtain zero tolerance for the genre
Violence and sexual harassment, “he said.

For his part, the director of the CCDG, Sandra Oulaté-Stattoh, said that professionals and other actors play a key role to play in early recognition, in the processing and support
of survivors to this violence. “To play this role effectively, you need adequate training to allow you to recognize the signs and symptoms of violence and sexual harassment based on the genre, even in cases where the victims do not explicitly reveal their situation. This includes awareness of the
Different forms of violence, including physics, sexual, psychological and economic, as well as the cultural and social contexts that influence these situations, “he underlined.

As a reminder, in the Ecowas region, over 10% of women experience physical, sexual or emotional violence, often within the family. This situation was exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw cases of climbing the GBV stars, with an increase of up to 50% in
Some countries of the region.

The ivory coast alone recorded 9,607 cases of gender violence in 2024, which affect 7,950 women and 3,290 children, according to official data.

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