Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Family Support Services was launched, this morning, by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the Abercrombie Police Station, in Port Louis in the context of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed annually on 25 November.
This year, the United Nations’ theme for the 16 days of activism to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.
The Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah; Members of Parliament, Mr Mohamad Salim Abbas Mamode, Mrs Subhasnee Luchmun-Roy, and Mrs Marie Joanne Sabrina Tour; the Lord Mayor of the Municipal City Council of Port-Louis, Mr Mahfooz Moussa Cadersaib, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip; the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mrs Lisa Simrique Singh; and other eminent personalities were present on the occasion.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Jugnauth recalled that violence against women is one of the most persistent human rights violations and among the most extreme form of discrimination.
“Violence can take the form of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and may as well be the cause of death in some cases and such practices will not be tolerated,” stressed Mr Jugnauth.
Speaking of Government’s initiatives with regard to gender-based violence (GBV), the Prime Minister highlighted Government is very concerned about GBV and we are doing our utmost to defend the rights of women so that they live in dignity and free from fear.
He expressed gratitude to all stakeholders namely the European Union, the United Nations, and non-governmental organisations for their continuous technical and financial assistance towards GBV matters.
“These help us enormously in implementing GBV programmes and upholding our commitments in building a future in which everyone feels safe,” he added.
Furthermore, Mr Jugnauth pointed out that even though several initiatives are being taken to fight this social scourge, domestic violence continues to be present in the society, and are often committed by those in power.
On this score, he urged people with authority and power to lead by example and called for the participation of every citizen in the national efforts to uphold human rights for women and combat discrimination.
He also stressed on the need to continuously review existing institutions and services as regards GBV as, according to him, this is key to addressing the roots of GBV and create a better world for all women which is free of discrimination and violence.
The number of GBV cases is on an increase according to statistics from the Police Family Protection Unit and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare.
In 2021, as per statistics, 3 079 cases of violence were reported, out of which 2 455 were against women, and this year, out of the 4 003 cases of violence reported, 3 294 were against women.
With regard to those statistics, the Prime Minister indicated that actions should not only be targeted towards victims of domestic violence but also against offenders as, according to him, the person committing domestic violence on others is sick and needs treatment.
In this context, he added that this Family Support Services will not only allow victims to benefit from coordinated and timely support, counselling and legal support, among others, but will also give perpetrators the opportunity to benefit from rehabilitation.
For her part, Minister Koonjoo-Shah underscored that the Family Support Services will be a service that will comprise Officers from the Police Family Protection Unit and her Ministry, working in one office together, so as to provide services to victims of domestic violence.
“Victims of domestic violence can receive a wide range of services, including legal advice and assistance, counselling and, if they wish, a place of safety to stay temporarily,” she pointed out.
She announced that this service will be decentralised to other parts of the island such as Souillac and Phoenix so that victims can easily report their cases, obtain the assistance required and allow Officers can better manage GBV cases across the country.
The Minister also dwelt on the numerous measures put in place by her Ministry to protect women against such scourges namely: the launching of a 16-day media awareness campaign where a video will be broadcasted so as to encourage people to report cases of domestic violence; the hotline 139 available on a 24/7 basis; and a Mobile App called “Lespwar” which is equipped with a panic button that will detect the location of victims of GBV and enable Officers of the Ministry and the Police Family Protection Unit to provide quick assistance.
On this score, she reaffirmed Government’s commitment in its endeavour to address GBV and encouraged women to come forward and report cases of domestic violence which remains largely unreported due to the impunity and stigma around it.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
