BURKINA FASO / 2021-2026

Biig yi neere , a life without violence

Burkina Faso still has a long road ahead on its journey to achieving gender equality, especially in the area of child abuse. Girls are more likely to be victims of physical, sexual, gender-based or psychological violence. They struggle to escape unbalanced and discriminatory gender relations, educational traditions and social norms. The humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country and the recent pandemic have made children more vulnerable to violence, as some find themselves cut off from essential protection services.

Even though Burkina Faso's government has made efforts to address this issue over the past several years, a significant gap persists between legislation and the practices used to deal with children, which sometimes are in violation of their rights. Building on a past project in Burkina Faso from 2015 to 2021, the IBCR has renewed its commitment to supporting the country's authorities in their efforts to improve child protection. A new five-year project (2021-2026) is now underway, thanks to support from Global Affairs Canada. Conducted in collaboration with the Government of Burkina Faso, it aims to consolidate gains in children's rights and specifically focuses on reducing sexual and gender-based violence.

Project carried out

The Project

To reduce sexual and gender-based violence against children, and especially girls, in Burkina Faso over a five-year period, the IBCR aims to:

• Increase respect for children's rights and promote child-friendly practices among state actors involved in preventing and combating child abuse. In particular, efforts will focus on defence and security forces (police, gendarmerie, armed forces and child protection brigades), the justice system (members of the judiciary and prison guards), the social services sector, educational services and schools.

• Strengthen child protection at the community level and improve community coordination with state institutions.

• Empower children by fostering their leadership and mobilising them in the fight against violence in all its forms.

HOW?

J Establish procedures to clarify each actor's role and responsibilities in preventing child abuse.

J Create training for personnel working in the targeted sectors so that they can develop the skills they need to provide appropriate, child-friendly interventions.

J Develop training courses and tools so that child protection networks and community organisations can expand their knowledge and skills for preventing child abuse and providing assistance to victims.

J Create spaces for dialogue, promote collaboration and facilitate coordination between the various actors and sectors involved in the project, including children.

J Develop tools, training courses and opportunities for children to develop their leadership skills, understand their rights, and learn how to identify cases of abuse, how protect themselves and how to respond if abuse occurs.

// New this year //

Gaining A Better Understanding Of The National Context

The best way to understand Burkina Faso's child protection system, and particularly the actors involved in cases involving sexual and gender-based violence, is to study the various sectors targeted by the project. The findings of this analysis will be compiled in a situational assessment report that describes the system's strengths, weaknesses and possible areas for improvement.

The project was given a name in mooré: "Biig-yi-neere", which translates as "For the well-being of the child". Having a name in one of Burkina Faso's national languages will help anchor the project in the country, promote understanding of its objectives and commitment of the stakeholders in its implementation and foster its recognition by the population.

Dialogue was initiated with members of community-based child protection networks and civil society to gain a better understanding of their roles in the child protection system and existing synergies with state actors.

» 376 people were consulted as part of an analysis of the country's child protection system, including 190 children (80 boys and 110 girls) in 6 cities: Koudougou, Kaya, Ouagadougou, Ouahigouya, Dédougou and Bobo Dioulasso

Mobilising Partners

Partnerships were strengthened with the ministries responsible for each of the sectors affected by the project. Getting them on board will ensure activities run smoothly and with proper support.

New partnerships were initiated with 7 community organisations, which will work alongside the IBCR to empower children to defend and demand respect for their rights.

Clarifying Procedures

The role and responsibilities of all individuals who support child victims of violence within the justice system were clarified thanks to the definition of a procedure for the justice sector. The procedure also establishes how to provide child-friendly services.

In addition, clarifications were made to the procedure for referring cases of sexual and gender-based violence in crisis situations. The procedure describes the roles of the various protection units and community organisations, and what they do at each stage. A summary of this content will be included in a specially created guidebook.

67 % of child protection workers and civil society members who participated in the project say they now know what role they play in preventing violence against girls in emergency situations

In general [...] the activity allowed to raise issues related to child protection. Understanding the problems is the first step in finding a solution.

- Participant in development workshop for child protection networks, Koudougou, February 2022

Empowering Children To Combat Violence

A Child Advisory Committee was set up, composed of 30 children, including 22 girls. It is responsible for making sure the project is implemented properly and for participating in certain project activities.

Currently, the project team is collaborating with community organisations to develop an action plan for empowering all the child participants defend their rights and fight violence.

A project logo is also being created with input from children so that it reflects their understanding of the project and the issues involved.

»12 children, including 7 girls, helped define the project logo at a drawing workshop

As long as we now know the difference between sexual and gender-based violence, we can say no to many forms of violence and explain them to our comrades who don't know much about them.

WORLDWIDE / 2020-2027

PRIDE: International Volunteering for Children's Rights

PRIDE, the IBCR's international volunteering programme, is now entering its second year. As part of Canada's Voluntary Cooperation Program (VCP), PRIDE aims to improve human rights, children's rights and gender equality in 11 countries. The project enables Canadian professionals to share their expertise with community organisations and government departments that support children's rights in various contexts. These men and women, whose areas of expertise range from child protection to graphic design to project management, volunteer their time to enrich and strengthen partner organisations so that they can fulfil their missions more effectively.

As concerns about the global pandemic subside, international volunteering has resumed. This year, 26 people travelled abroad to share their expertise with our partners.

The progress made as a result of their contributions is summarised below.

The Project

To defend the rights of the poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable people, especially women and girls, in 11 countries, as a means of improving their social well-being, the IBCR will work over a 7-year period to:

• Improve respect for children's rights, gender equality and the inclusion of vulnerable groups at the national level by strengthening the capabilities of partner organisations and particularly by aiding with the implementation of innovative initiatives

• Encourage Canadians to get involved in global issues, international development and children's rights in order to spark change within Canada and beyond.

HOW?

J Deploy more than 250 qualified volunteers for periods ranging from a few days to several months and match them with partner organisations that could benefit from their expertise and experience in order to promote and defend human and children's rights.

J Promote the sharing of knowledge, skills and best practices between actors at all levels of the child protection system in a given country.

J Promote innovation in the field of children's rights and gender equality through the creation of a Social Lab, where project