Actualité

The woman, an important developmental element, is frequently confronted with the problems of violence, due to her sex and her custom. Between silence and stigmatization, violence against women persists particularly in Africa and some countries of the world. Granting absolute protection to women is essential. to do this, it is to set up mechanisms that can allow it to appear, break with the silence « deadly » and defend its rights.
To better understand the notion of violence against women, it is necessary to refer to article 2 of the law nr2011-26 of January 09, 2012 relating to the prevention and repression of violence against women in Benin. according to the said law, violence against women is intended to mean « all acts of violence directed against the female sex and causing or likely to cause women physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, including the threat of such acts, constraint or deprivationarbitrary freedom, whether in public or private life « .abortion, harassment, incest, incitement of minors to debauchery, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, pedophilia, traditional practices prejudicial to women, forced prostitution, pimping, forced sterilization, rape, the violence in the family, professional, domestic, economic, heritage, physical, psychological or moral environments, sexual violence and zoophilia are all related concepts that, by analysis, are similar to those of violence against women in most countries, organizations’ efforts to champion the cause of women are in vain. The persistence of the phenomenon is often due to the fact that the state through its policy of fight against the plague is confronted with the ethnic, cultural and cultural realities of the places or zones of predilection where the phenomenon develops. Benin, for its part, has made progress through the adoption of mechanisms and strategies to repress acts of violence against women. This is evidenced by Law No. 2011-11 of 9 January 2012 on the prevention and repression of violence against women, as well as Law No.2006-19 of 05 September 2006 on the repression of sexual harassment and protection of victims in the Republic of Benin and many others. despite this mobilization, the phenomenon remains, as many remain to be done.for Benin, with regard to the health and social sectors, the State has the obligation to promote, through health and social structures, the early detection of cases of violence against women. to this end, it must develop awareness programs, initial and ongoing training of health personnel, with the aim of improving clinical management and assisting the rehabilitation of female victims. as far as the judicial side is concerned, given that most rape and domestic violence takes place in private places, hidden from the eyes of potential witnesses, the Beninese judiciary must widen the categories of evidence against it and take into account oral testimonies the victims. In other words, rigorous, non-flexible application of the texts and joint action by the various actors involved in the fight against this phenomenon are needed. Women victims must also break the silence by denouncing the perpetrators of these acts. All this will enable the women to be freed from the servitude of this plague.

Translation: Akouélé Rolande GNIDOKPONOU

Publication Director: Wilfried AGOUNDJEKPO