How best to contribute to the fight to end violence against women, young girls and children? This was the aim of the sensitisation session organised by a team of police officers (UNPOL) from the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) for students at the Institution de formation et d'éducation féminine (IFEF) in Adzopé, 104 km from Abidjan, on Thursday, 28 November 2013.



The training and sensitisation session which took place on the premises of this professional training establishment for women was attended students, teachers and supervisors, as well as representatives of women's associations.



The UN Police (UNPOL) focal point for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Mahamoud Weirah Ibrahim and his colleague Damien Dossa, explained the harmful consequences of ill-treatment, genital mutilation and the violation of the rights of victims of these practices.



The two UN police officers condemned the fact that despite sensitisation campaigns, female genital mutilation is still widely carried in secret with the support of the local people who hesitate to denounce these violations of women's rights. They recommended better collaboration between local people, the police and the gendarmerie to put an end to these violations.



For their part, the representatives of women's associations called to greater involvement of men in carrying out sensitisation to put an end to all forms of violence against women. They promised to discuss the issue with traditional and religious leaders in order to strengthen the fight to end the practice.



The session concluded with UNOCI's Public Information Officer, Daouda Dosso, encouraging the women to pass on the message of the fight to end violence against women. He urged them to do so with determination.