« I have visited Duekoué several times, I have seen the distress caused by the post-electoral crisis and the recovery of Duekoué. You have lost nothing because you still have your courage and your dignity» : these were the words of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in Côte d'Ivoire, Ndolamb Ngokwey, in his address to members of the Coalition of Women Leaders of Duekoué, situated at 502 km northwest of Abidjan on Thursday, 5 September 2013. He spoke to them during a joint mission of the United Nations, the Ministry of Family, Women and Children and civil society groups.



« Even if the humanitarian crisis has ended, the humanitarian problem remains. Issues affecting women are of concern to us», said Mr. Ngokwey who is also Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General with the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).



The president of the Coalition of Women Leaders of Duékoué, Elisabeth Mah, gave an overview of the situation on the ground: Many women have been victims of violence, some of them are widows while others have dozens of children to look after because of the post-electoral crisis.



In 2012, Duékoué documented 241 cases of violence against women, including 79 rapes and 41 cases of violence against children. In 2013, 123 cases of gender-based violence have so far been documented, including 37 cases against women and 29 against children, according to figures released by the deputy director of the Social Centre, Mamadou Doukouré.

« We are by your side, including the United Nations (namely UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme) to support you" assured the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Ndolamb Ngokwey.



For her part, the president of the Coalition of Women Leaders of Duékoué took the opportunity to make a plea on behalf of local women. « NWe are asking you to help to set up projects to educate women, train them in managing long lasting projects», she asked. « Help us to find ways of looking after ourselves. This will contribute to helping the people of Duékoué to overcome the effects of the crisis », she pleaded.



A member of the UN delegation who came to listen to the women of Duékoué, the Resident Representative of UN Women, Marie Goretti Nduwayo, urged the women to arm themselves with the courage to succeed. « Do not give in to discouragement. You can and must rebuild Duékoué. We want to see what you are capable of and how you can initiate income-generating activities with funds that will be given to you," she told them.

Words which can only help the women in Duékoué to remain confident and turn over the pages of the post-electoral crisis and look to the future despite everything that has happened to them.