PSI-Pasmo:Initiativ mot Könsbaserat våld

1. The “Consortium for the Reduction and Prevention of Violence Against Women in Guatemala,” also known as Consortium Ixoqib implemented the project from May 2015 through December 2018.  It was provided psychosocial and medical support services, including alternative therapies to 1034 girls, adolescents and women according to standards and protocols (classified under the  World Health Organization's -WHO- criteria and Ley PINA) in situations of violence (victims and survivors). The legal assistance was provided to survivors of violence in 403 cases, resulting in 69 convictions.  2. Within promotion behavior change in girls, adolescents, women, families, communities, health and education providers and justice operators ... The effort was focused on changing underlying harmful gender norms, a root cause contributing to the propagation of violence against women and girls, and indeed exposure to consortium activities correlated to improvement towards women's empowerment.  High achievement was due in part to establishing 10 community committees for the prevention of violence. Committee members were provided with tools to become agents of change and resources on preventing and addressing GBV. At the institutional level, the consortium worked with the bi-ministerial commission to prevent Sexual Violence in Guatemala in the departments of Guatemala, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango and Quiché, including retreats, meetings, forums, and conversations with ministry leadership, to advocate for the implementation of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education under a rights-based approach within the national educational curriculum. At the local level, participation in the bi-ministerial working groups in each department contributed to the positioning of the importance of the sexual and reproductive rights of adolescents, as well as the generation of alliances between civil society actors and aid workers present in the municipalities.  The Program was effective in increasing knowledge of sexual and reproductive health rights among girls, their families, and their communities, resulting in girls and women being able to develop life plans that promote staying in school and preventing violence and early pregnancies.  The program also led the “Program for the Empowerment of Mayan Girls” which provided comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education. The program reached more girls than anticipated due to high demand, achieving their goal for their graduation rate. 82% of girls enrolled in this program resided in the Western Highlands, reflecting the consortium’s focus on areas of highest need. Of the 372 girls who enrolled in the Empowerment Program, a total of 240 of them completed the process, reflecting a retention rate of 64.51%. The graduation rate shows a drastic drop off for girls 15-19, as girls struggle with increasing social pressure to marry and support their families.  3. In respect to "contribution to gender equality by increasing access to resources and services as a strategy to prevent and break the cycle of violence” important advances were made in creating economic possibilities for survivors of sexual violence, which has been shown to be crucial for survivors to break the cycle of violence. The consortium brought the issue of economic empowerment into the response to GBV, an area often excluded from violence prevention efforts, both strengthening the awareness of such organizations to proactively include survivors of violence. To improve the economic empowerment of women and support to survivors of violence, the consortium reached women through community banks, youth cooperatives, and youth empowerment programming.  As example of this (i) 372 girls and adolescents benefited from the Mayan Girls Empowerment Program. (ii) Additionally, 373 survivors of violence received technical training through INTECAP, and 137 completed training in self-image and entrepreneurship, 220 young people had training and support for economic ventures, and 135 educational scholarships were offered to girls, helping to prevent school dropout. Anecdotally, some of the participants in the INTECAP courses (which included baking and pastries, floral arrangement, food preparation, confection, and cosmetology), later reported being able to start their own businesses or were hired to work for existing businesses. (iii) The youth empowerment program was also a key element to linking youth with empowerment and resources to break cycles of violence. Apart from the sessions on sexual and reproductive health rights, youth were strengthened and became important advocates for their rights. Overall, 202 young people, men and women in the department of Quiché were reached by the Barbara Ford cooperative “Junam Q'ab,” where they were trained in apiculture, including best practices in apiculture and best practices in manufacturing (of honey). 4. Within the area of “Influence the government, civil society and the private sector to ensure that they have the capacity to support, finance and implement policies and efforts to protect girls, adolescents and women from violence”. The Consortium advocated for the approval of Decree 16-2018, and act that declared March 8th the National Day for the Victims of Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home, which included a lifetime pension for the 15 surviving girls. In addition, strategic alliances were established on a local level, with representatives of the departmental with mayors, governors and representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. However, the work envisaged with the private sector on violence prevention policies against women was partially achieved despite the consortium's attempts. Finally, in this area, the Consortium played a key role in advocacy initiatives, working with local governments to improve resources for preventing and addressing GBV and pushing to reform national policies in favor of the rights of women and girls. 5. As validated by an independent consultant in the final project evaluation, the Ixoquib Consortium met and exceeded its goals, leaving a strong and coordinated network of organizations better positioned to close gaps in the referral pathway and advocate for the prevention of GBV. Cross-cutting themes and strategies included: a focus on sexual and reproductive health rights, empowerment of women living in poverty, and strategic information strategies to close gaps along the referral pathway and identify best practices to prevent and address GBV. In the external evaluation of the Consortium, testimonies of program participants showed that women empowered, trained and accompanied through the legal process regained confidence in themselves, in their community, in the justice system. They became empowered to break the cycle of violence by demonstrating that their rights as women were valid, transforming them from victims to women with rights and the ability to make their own decisions. The Consortium made significant strides in positioning the need to address GBV in the public agenda and to directly provide services and referrals to survivors of violence.

Women and girls in Guatemala are free from all forms of violence in the Departments of Quiché, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango and Guatemala.