Director of the Unit for combating violence against Women visits El Geneina to Support Women IDPs Affected by recent violence

Alsudaniyat

A delegation from the unit for combating violence against women visited EL Geneina, Western Darfur state, on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, as part of the unit's training for the police on dealing with violence against women, among other women IDPs issues. The visit aim to work to enhance the services and to activate the eight women service offices in different localities.

The visit also is part of the follow up of the many of the fundamentals demands for implementation of the national plan for protection of civilians and to monitor the impact of the after the recent events in EL Geneina on women IDPs.

Sulaimi Ishaq, director of the unit, in a statement to Alsudaniyat said that:" the situation require training and upgrading of service provider, including police forces. She affirmed that the issue of security is essential so that the residents of the state can lgo back to their normal activities. Suliama warned that the state could become a time bomb because of the delay in security arrangements and the frequent presence of weapons and many other problems. She added that: this used to be one of the safe cities and its problems were limited, but the situation worsened significantly this year, including lack of access to health services and mental health. Some people believe that mental health care is secondary luxury, but mental welfare is a fundamental priority for those who were displaced once and twice in few months. The displaced people cannot be asked to go back to their previous places, unless security is guaranteed.

Sulaimi continued saying : " El Geneina was the best example for the unit work, we had model centers that provided integrated services and psychological support, but after the recent events, these centers stopped working. Therefore, we are visiting the region to provide support to resume the work of these centers. The centers are supported by the UNDP, UNHCR and other UN agencies partnerships. On the other hand, the situation in the state requires everyone to work in exceptional circumstances whether organizations or government, which need institutional support, according to Suliama. She added that the aim of the visit is to follow up on what is happening and what we can do to enhance services for women IDPs.

The security situation in El Geneina could impact the over all ability of the community to recover after the recent violence. Lack of security, could create a big food shortage, if women did not feel safe enough to work in their farms in the next agricultural season. This current conditions could lead to a famine, as women’s have major role in creation of food security in the region.

In her remarks regarding the current visit, the head of violence against women unit expressed her appreciation to the efforts of young women and men working in governmental and nongovernmental institutions working with limited to resources to enhance the living conditions of thousands IDPs in the state. Furthermore, she affirmed that the unit will continue to work with to train local police and cooperate with UN agencies and other NGOs and government bodies to reduce the impact of the recent tension in the region in IDPs. She called for more actions from all stakeholders to support the work of the unit and the local actors to reinstate the essential services affected by the recent violence in the city.