DILI, 08 october 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste NGO Forum (FONGTIL) held a national seminar entitled ‘Women’s Role in the Economic, Social and Political’ to end gender-based violence in Timor-Leste.
The Executive Director of the Timor-Leste NGO Forum (FONGTIL), Daniel Santos informed that 38 percent of Timorese women experienced gender-based violence and discrimination.
“FONGTIL facilitates the coordination and communication between various Timor-Leste women rights movement groups, including Rede Feto Timor-Leste (RFTL) to present their recommendations to the government to take important measures to end gender-based violence,” Santos told reporters after the national seminar in Dili, on friday.
Santos said the recommendations of civil society would be integrated into government policy to end gender-based violence (GBV): “Civil society continues working and will present recommendations based on its survey and research to the government to take necessary actions to end violence against women.
“Timor Leste has laws to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, but one of the main obstacles is the implementation of the laws to ensure justice and gender equality for all women in Timor-Leste,” he said.
In addition, the Director-General, of the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SSEI), Armando da Costa said SSEI would cooperate with the development partners, including civil society to create a national action plan together to end the GBV.
“The National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence would cover national campaigns, seminars, and group discussions to raise the awareness of the communities to end the GBV,” said Costa.
He said SSEI supported18 startup businesses groups of women in 2019, and 26 groups in 2020 through incentive fund of women’s economic empowerment to run their own business. As a result, five of the groups had returned the incentive fund to SSEI and now run their own business independently.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
