The issue of violence against women and girls remains a concern in Guinea, where they do not have the right to family planning or control over their own bodies! Young girls and women are mainly trained to serve their husbands at the expense of their own well-being. In response to these inequalities, the Convergence for Sustainable Development (CODD) has implemented a "project to facilitate constructive dialogue on GBV/SRHR." This project involved identifying and training young girls and women from groups in a district of Conakry (Matoto) to facilitate transformative conversations and inspire behavioral change; an initiative supported by the Feminists in Action Project with the support of the French Development Agency.
By them and for them
Matoto is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Conakry, where many cases of violence against women and girls are reported. To carry out the project, ten groups of women and girls were identified with the support of the municipal authorities. After identification, each group was asked to select two young girls/women based on criteria such as dynamism, commitment, and knowledge of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to participate in the training and lead transformative conversations with their peers. The aim is to encourage young girls and women, through a community-based program, to bring about changes in behavior themselves with regard to GBV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in their communities. This approach promotes the autonomy of girls and women in decision-making related to their sexual and reproductive rights and against violence against women. The community initiative consisted of periodically facilitating transformative dialogues in the municipality of Matoto.
