### Fatshimetrie: Awareness-raising among students in Beni on human rights and gender-based violence
As part of the fight against violence against women and girls, the Gender, Family and Children Office, in collaboration with the MONUSCO gender section in Beni (North Kivu), has undertaken a commendable initiative. This action took place on Wednesday, November 27, in the form of training for around fifty students from local university institutions.
The main objective of this awareness-raising session was to familiarize these young people with the essential concepts of human rights, sexual violence and gender-based violence. Indeed, it is crucial to educate university youth on the prevention of this violence and on the appropriate behaviors to adopt in a university environment.
During this training, students were made aware of the different forms of gender-based violence, the fundamental principles for preventing them, as well as the process of referencing cases of violence and reporting techniques. Esther Masika, one of the participants, emphasizes the crucial importance of this training by saying: “The training is very important because gender-based violence is a reality, even in the university environment. As students, we witness it and we see these facts. This is why it is crucial for us to follow this training to learn how to deal with it and participate, even modestly, in the fight. It is essential, because we see acts such as sexual harassment, and personally, I am a victim of it.” Ruth Sabuni, head of the Gender, Family and Child office of the city of Beni, also expressed the significant importance of this training for this generation of students. According to her, it is essential to equip these young people with the necessary knowledge to prevent and reduce the risks of sexual violence in the university environment. “As you know, students are a vulnerable population, often victims of abuse in university institutions. This is why, in this awareness campaign, we targeted this category, to provide them with knowledge on this topic. In turn, they will be relays in their institutions to fight against abuse and sexual exploitation in the university environment. The objective is to prevent and reduce risks.” In addition to gender-based violence, the students also received an introduction to human rights from the sensitizers of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in Beni. This global initiative aims to educate and raise awareness among university youth on crucial issues in society.
In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize the importance of such training and awareness-raising initiatives for students. By educating them on human rights and training them to recognize and prevent gender-based violence, we contribute to creating a safer and more respectful university environment. These trained young people will be the relays of a broader fight against abuse and violence, thus participating in the construction of a more egalitarian and harmonious society.
Fatshimetrie continues to support these educational and awareness-raising initiatives, thus contributing to raising awareness and the fight against gender-based violence.