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Women and Girls

Salamatu Osmatu Koroma, Mary Tarawalie, Alimatu H Kamara, Marion Fola Musu Kamara, Momunatu Fousad Kamara who are running for election in June 2023 in Western Area Rural, Sierra Leone. Photo: Tolu J. Bade/Trócaire

Women and girls – particularly in crisis situations – experience violence, discrimination and exclusion.

Women and girls around the world should have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. They should be free from the threat of violence.

Thanks to your support, Trócaire’s programming supports many women and girls around the world. We support women and girls to use their voice, and we support communities and institutions to listen to women and girls and to break the cycle of violence and discrimination. We support survivors of violence to heal, recover and thrive. To live lives of safety, dignity and opportunity. This support saves lives.

Why support women’s and girls’ protection, voice and leadership?

Globally, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In conflict and crisis situations – including the climate crisis – this violence escalates. Women and girls often experience multiple types of violence including intimate partner violence, sexual violence, forced marriage and sexual exploitation and abuse.

Women and girls experience widespread discrimination in every aspect of their lives. At school. In communities. In politics. At work. Exclusion, discrimination, harassment and the threat of violence is a daily reality.

This discrimination is wrong. It is a denial of women’s and girls’ human rights. It traps women and girls in poverty.

Gender equality means equal human rights. Equal responsibilities. Equal opportunities. Equal treatment for women and men. With gender equality, women and girls can reach their full potential.

Gender equality means everyone benefits. Not only individuals, but whole communities and entire countries. Gender equality leads to better education and health, economic benefits and more peaceful societies for all.

Gender equality means equal human rights. Equal responsibilities. Equal opportunities. Equal treatment for women and men. With gender equality, women and girls can reach their full potential.

Gender equality means everyone benefits. Not only individuals, but whole communities and entire countries. Gender equality leads to better education and health, economic benefits and more peaceful societies for all.

How do we support women and girls?

Trócaire supports women to have a voice and to be able to make informed decisions that affect their lives. We empower women within their homes, communities and beyond. We also work with women and men to challenge violence against women.

Our women’s empowerment programmes are based on an approach that works at many levels. We support people at individual, local and societal level. We bring about change in people’s homes and communities. We push for change in institutions and politics.

  • With individual women: We build confidence and self-esteem. We increase knowledge and skills.
  • Within households: We work towards shared decision making within the household. Shared control of household wealth.
  • Within communities: We build positive attitudes for gender equality. Challenge negative attitudes. Demand rights and equal participation of women.
  • Wider society and institutions: We address power imbalances. We challenge political and economic structures. We influence laws and policies.

Our programme also reduces the risk of violence to women and girls. For survivors of violence we provide support, recovery and social change. We also engage men to improve attitudes towards violence against women.

Trócaire takes actions that support women’s and girls’ protection, voice and leadership:

  • We set up and run women’s and girls’ safe spaces in crisis settings, where women and girls who have been displaced by conflict or crisis can access information, psychological support, social support and rebuild their peer networks.
  • We provide healthcare, social, psychological and legal support to survivors of violence.
  • We provide kits, including supplies for managing menstruation, to women and girls in crisis.
  • We work with women, girls, boys and men to address harmful attitudes and support gender equality and respect for women’s and girls’ rights.
  • We support women and girls to become leaders
  • We advocate for laws that protect and respect the rights of women and girls.

What impact are we having?

We support women’s empowerment programmes in 15 countries. In 2023/24, these programmes supported 235,406 people.


Supporting women to take up leadership roles

Gender equality in decision making

support survivors of violence

Working with women and men to change attitudes

Women leaders

Our programmes support women to build their confidence and help them get involved in decision making processes.

Financial planning

In Zimbabwe, support included financial literacy, marketing, and business management skills training, along with community programmes to help men and women understand the benefits of women’s participation in household decision-making processes, ownership, control and management of household income.

Safer Spaces

Our programmes provide safe spaces for women and girls to connect with each other, develop their skills and access services.

Social Support in Crisis

Our programmes support women and girls, including survivors of violence, to improve their safety, health and wellbeing.

Justice

In Guatemala coordination between Ancestral Authorities and the Council of Midwives continued to be strengthened to ensure access to comprehensive health care and justice in cases of violence against women. This culminated in an official decree in March 2022 that recognises the dignity and value of Guatemalan midwives and their work in supporting women in communities.

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