Kédougou: Gender-based violence, the heavy price paid by women.

Sexual, physical, psychological, and economic violence: in Kédougou, gender-based violence (GBV) continues to impoverish women and girls. At the Rights Center, 80% of the 551 people seen for consultations are women. This figure highlights the scale of the problem and the urgent need for a collective response.

In Kédougou, gender-based violence remains a serious and worrying reality. Behind the doors of family compounds, within couples, and in society at large, women face various forms of violence. While sexual violence is increasingly prevalent, economic, physical, and psychological violence also continue to weigh heavily on their daily lives.

For Kadidia Diallo, a representative of women, the phenomenon has several facets, with a worrying predominance of sexual violence.

"In Kédougou, I think we have several types of GBV. But today, the observation is that we have more sexual violence taking over, alongside economic violence," she emphasizes.

The women's representative also drew a link between household economic hardship and the tensions that undermine marital relationships. According to her, many cases of divorce and family conflict stem from inadequate support for families. This situation, in her view, also reflects a lack of security and stability within homes.

551 consultations: women represent 80% of those seen.

Data from the Rights Shop confirms this observation. Of the 551 people seen for consultations, 80% were women, compared to only 20% men. This distribution reflects the high level of women's exposure to violence, but also their increased use of legal support services.

For Mariama Ba, a lawyer, the violence suffered by women is not limited to physical assaults. It also takes more insidious forms, sometimes difficult for the victims themselves to identify.

"In terms of violence, women are subjected to physical, economic and psychological violence," she explains.

The lawyer points in particular to precariousness, the poverty line and the lack of awareness as factors which contribute to keeping women in vulnerable situations.

“Women are not sufficiently aware. Because a woman can be a victim of violence without even knowing it,” warns Mariama Ba.

Beyond the visible violence, this lack of awareness of rights constitutes a major obstacle to reporting abuse and finding solutions. For those working to combat gender-based violence, raising awareness remains essential to enabling women and girls to recognize the different forms of violence, break the silence, and seek appropriate assistance.

The prefect calls for a synergy of interventions

Faced with this situation, the administrative authorities intend to strengthen the coordination of actions undertaken on the ground. The prefect of the Kédougou department is counting in particular on a better understanding and implementation of the national strategy for gender equality and equity, considered the benchmark for combating gender-based violence.

"As an alternative, this includes giving substance to the national strategy for equality and gender equity, which is the benchmark for combating GBV," he says.

The head of the departmental executive also insists on the need to coordinate the interventions of the various partners who support initiatives to combat violence against women and girls.

"The goal is also to enable them to move towards creating a synergy that will help to overcome these GBVs," he explains.

In Kédougou, the fight against gender-based violence cannot be limited to mere declarations of intent. Between raising community awareness, providing legal support to victims, preventing economic violence, and strengthening coordination among stakeholders, the challenges remain considerable.

Breaking the silence, freeing speech and guaranteeing women and girls the right to live free from all forms of violence: this is now the urgent task to push back this scourge in the Kédougou region.