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Mali
JUGE - JUSTICE FOR SURVIVORS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
JUGE is the result of close collaboration and analysis carried out by ASF France, ASF Mali and Women in Law & Development in Africa (WiLDAF), leading to the definition of an intervention strategy for the fight against impunity in Mali for cases of gender-based violence (GBV). The findings show that GBV is a national phenomenon recognized by the State and its partners. According to UN WOMEN, more than 35% of Malian women are victims of sexual violence at least once in their lives. These figures fall short of the reality, as some survivors are unable to seek help. According to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), we also note that sexual violence related to the conflict has been massive.
No official figures exist on this subject. The repression of these crimes and the reparation due to the survivors is a major challenge for the Malian State, whose stability and credibility depend on the capacity of the judicial institution to rise to these challenges. It is necessary to do justice to these survivors by providing them with holistic care (PEC), with an emphasis on the penal response.
In this context, JUGE aims to achieve specific changes in terms of behavior to fight against impunity for GBV and contribute to the eradication of such violence. The changes will focus on the attitude of the authorities, actors in the penal chain and civil society. The project will be implemented in Bamako, Gao and Koulikoro and will last 24 months.
EXPECTED RESULTS
- Women survivors of GBV have benefited from a holistic and adequate management of their case, leading to the conviction of the presumed perpetrators and the reparation of their losses.
- Advocacy, monitoring and awareness-raising activities have influenced public policies and social attitudes regarding the respect of women's rights and GBV.
OBJECTIVES
JUGE was designed with the general objective of strengthening respect for human rights and participating in the consolidation of democracy in Mali.
The specific objective is to combat GBV and the impunity of its perpetrators. Prosecuting perpetrators of GBV will help bring justice to survivors, give credibility to the work of the state justice system and promote citizens' trust in the institutions. These objectives will also make it possible to support ASF Mali and WiLDAF and strengthen their role and strategy in the fight against impunity for GBV.
ACTIONS IN 2020
- Strengthening partners on GBV co-training techniques in order to ensure the quality, sustainability and duplication of trainings.
- Training of actors in the penal chain, organized for greater fluidity and efficiency in the processing of cases.
- Targeted training for lawyers on how to manage and listen to GBV survivors, how to compile a file, the investigative steps to be taken and procedural strategies
- Strengthening the legal knowledge of paralegals, in particular on conflict-related sexual violence and the draft law against GBV.
- Referral and holistic care (legal, medical and psychosocial) for GBV survivors.
- Promotion and enhancement of pro bono assistance in order to ensure the sustainability of the legal aid activity (AJ).
- Advocacy actions to strengthen the legal framework by adopting a text criminalizing GBV and expanding the anti-terrorist legal framework to include war crimes and torture, crimes against humanity and genocide, including sexual violence.
- Reinforcement of the knowledge of WiLDAF and ASF Mali project managers in relation to the use of the media
- Strengthening the knowledge of community and religious leaders about GBV. The commitment of these authority figures is one of the keys to the success of actions at Community level.
- Raising awareness of the population, especially women, about GBV. Actions will be carried out to raise awareness among women and their communities about their rights and will disseminate the draft law against GBV.
FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL PARTNERS
WiLDAF and ASF Mali are closely involved in the implementation of the project and were chosen because of their key role in the prevention, investigation and condemnation of GBV. The European Union provides the main funding for this project.
