DILI, 8 august 2022 (TATOLI)– The Belun Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) has officially released an awareness video to prevent and eliminate domestic violence against girls and women in Timor-Leste.
The director of the Belun NGO, Luis Ximenes said this video contains the main causes, impacts, and prevention of domestic violence against women and girls, especially in Timor-Leste.
“There are three main causes of domestic violence, namely the lack of good communication between women and men and even with children, other causes are low family income and physical coercion from husbands to have sexual intercourse, while to prevent this issue of violence, the victims must report the cases to the police,” he said.
The Secretary of State for Gender Equality (SSGI), Maria Do Rosario Fatima Correia, considered this action is a way of adapting government policies to eliminate violence against women and girls in Timor-Leste
“I appreciated the NGO Belun for producing this video to share information with the public about the causes of violence as well as the impact and prevention of violence against women and girls. SoSGI has a national plan for the prevention of gender violence, domestic violence, and others and this video is useful for sharing the message of prevention with everyone across the country,”
UNNFPA Program Coordinator on Gender Base Violence, Mihye Shin said UNFPA has committed to supporting the NGO BELUN to provide this video.
“There are indications that violence against women and girls is a reminder of a significant problem in this country. Timor-Leste has witnessed strong and dynamic policy reforms supported by civil society organizations for mechanisms to prevent violence against women and girls in the country,”
According to the 2016 Demographic Health Survey, 38% of women aged 15 to 49 experienced physical violence, and 75% of married women experienced violence from their husbands.
While the 2021 data from Belun, in three municipalities, Bobonaro, Ermera and Viqueque recorded that 1260 women and children have experienced physical violence, sexual violence, and emotional violence.
So far, this video is funded by UNFPA and produced by the NGO BELUN for distribution to relevant government agencies and NGOs.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia R.
