You just have to be dedicated and work hard. She hopes that the award will inspire African women and girls to join the police services in their own countries. The award was established in to recognize the exceptional contributions of female police officers to UN peacekeeping and to promote the empowerment of women. But I come from a family of more than 20 children. When the opportunity to join the police force came in , she jumped at the opportunity. More than three decades later, she has no regrets. I am very satisfied with my performance as a police officer. In Mali, she helped establish the Police Women Network to support the establishment of gender units in the police force. The award is an impetus.
Site Information Navigation
Advancing Equality through Human Rights Education in Senegal
Violence against women and girls, limited access to civic registration and entrenched discriminatory attitudes represent major barriers to participation of women, girls and youth to community life in Senegal. Sexist stereotypes against women and girls are still prevalent and conveyed in the media and public life. The multifaceted forms of violence suffered by women and girls prevent them from freely expressing their point of view and participate in decision-making in the private and public spheres. Despite existing laws and efforts made by the State — with the help of civil society organizations and other partners — to address these problems, strategies deployed to solve these issues have not produced significant result. The ultimate goal of the Advancing Equality project is to increase the empowerment of women and girls to advance gender equality. In Senegal, reaching this goal implies creating a safer educational environments, supporting active participation of girls, contributing to their long-term empowerment and leading to the adoption of more favourable and egalitarian social norms. Yet inequalities exist, especially for women and girls :. The Project adopts a participatory approach to advance gender equality that includes:. The planning and implementation of the Advancing Equality through Human Rights Education program is done in cooperation with the target communities in Senegal. Thus, community members have been consulted and have themselves outlined the most pressing gender equality issues in their communities through data collection conducted by Equitas and its local partners during the baseline study.
The situation today
Senegal is a relatively stable African democracy with high economic growth forecasts according to the World Bank , despite its high unemployment and fertility rates. However, it faces the challenges of having not only a vast youth population, but also high levels of poverty and low levels of social protection, all of which have implications for gender equality. Its implementation during the legislative elections almost doubled the representation of women from 64 of legislative seats in and 70 of seats in Senegal has adopted the National Strategy for Equity and Gender Equality — to ensure that women, girls, men and boys have the same opportunities to participate in and benefit equally from development. The strategy also mandates gender budgeting at national level. While the Family Code grants men and women equal access to land, traditional custom prevents equality in practice, with women often unable to inherit land and husbands often opposing the acquisition of land by their wives. While child, early and forced marriages are prohibited under article of the Family Code , they are still widespread.
Human Rights Watch found cases of teachers who abuse their authority by engaging in sexual relations with students in exchange for money, good grades, food, or items such as mobile phones and new clothes. Harassment and coercion of students for sexual purposes and the abuse of their power and authority over a child by teachers carries sentences of up to 10 years in prison. Human Rights Watch conducted interviews and group discussions with over girls and young women, as well as with more than 60 parents, education experts, psychologists, local activists, development partners, and national and local government officials in eight districts in four regions of Senegal.
