“…let’s have that conversation and STOP violence against women”, May 2021-Septemer 2021

In our past project, ‘Let’s Have That Conversation and STOP Violence Against Women,’ SBBSL collaborated with partners, stakeholders, including local government, and civil society organizations to strengthen services for migrant sex workers, women, and girls facing GBV and IPV in Suriname.

The campaign involved various activities, including public campaigns, peer education exercises, and awareness initiatives. A crucial aspect was empowering survivors of GBV and IPV in Suriname with language and culturally specific information. The campaign’s development was based on information gathered during previous projects and ongoing outreach activities, including counseling sessions in the central Paramaribo district and gold mining regions via telehealth.

Key activities of the GBV campaign included monthly virtual training on GBV/IPV with other NGOs, a 24/7 helpline, two legal literacy training sessions, medical and psychosocial care, a social media campaign, monthly press releases, and bi-weekly capacity building training.

The approach included providing confidential medical advice via telehealth to reach remote migrant sex workers in the interior of Suriname’s rainforest experiencing GBV and IPV. Ensuring age, gender, cultural, and linguistic appropriateness in assessments was a priority.

As part of the peer education module, ongoing efforts were made to empower survivors through evidence-based capacity-building sessions, ensuring that migrant sex workers, women, and girls know and understand their rights. Findings were shared with other civil society organizations to strengthen collaboration and support for the target group’s health and safety.